


so here i am alive at last (the taste of ink is getting old)

by blackrose1002, BlackVultures



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Alternate Universe - Tattoos, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Body Worship, F/F, F/M, First Dates, First Kiss, First Time, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Love at First Sight, M/M, Past Abuse, Past Angus "Mac" MacGyver/Murdoc, Scars, Self-Esteem Issues, Shower Sex, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:20:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 33,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23552212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrose1002/pseuds/blackrose1002, https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackVultures/pseuds/BlackVultures
Summary: Mac flashed her a grin and Jack actually felt his heart jump in his chest—this guy was easily the most beautiful person he had ever seen. He pressed a pedal on the floor with his foot and the tattoo gun in his hand buzzed to life, reminding Jack of the underground hornet nest he stepped in once as a kid. Riley and Jack both watched as he dipped the needle on the gun in black ink and then pressed it to Riley’s skin, creating a tiny line that would make up part of the outside of the feather. She didn’t even wince at the pain and Jack relaxed a little.“So how long have you been doing this?” the question was out of Jack’s mouth before he could bite his tongue, but he was just socurious.Mac didn’t look away from what he was doing, but one corner of his mouth curved up a little. “Professionally? Two years. Before that I apprenticed under Desi—we run the shop together—at another parlor, DXS. And beforethat, I was in the Army.”(AKA the AU where Mac is a tattoo artist and Jack is Jack, and they meet because of Riley and stick together despite everything.)
Relationships: Jack Dalton/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Riley Davis/Desiree "Desi" Nguyen, Wilt Bozer/Leanna Martin
Comments: 98
Kudos: 182





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! I told you we'd be back with more fics soon, and I delivered! This one is pretty much what it says on the tin: an AU wherein Mac and Jack never crossed paths in the Sandbox, but they meet because Riley gets out of jail and wants a cover up tattoo. There's a lot of fun stuff that happens along the way (including smut) and we think you guys will enjoy it. ;) **Blanket warning for the whole fic: Mac and Murdoc were an item at one point and Murdoc was an emotionally manipulative prick who hit him once.** If something like that might trigger you, maybe skip this one. Any mistakes are my own since I'm putting this bad boy together, and as always, please let us know what you think! Enjoy!
> 
> (Title is from "The Taste of Ink" by The Used.)

Jack Dalton was never into the idea of tattoos. He knew plenty of people who had them (in his line of work, he had run into all kinds of characters), and while he could admire the artistry involved in some pieces of ink, it just isn’t something that interests him. That being said, he had nothing against them, and since Riley had been out of prison for a few months, Jack wasn’t surprised in the slightest when she informed him she wanted to get her ink-pen jail tats covered up. None of them were gang related, but she wanted to get an IT job and having black and blue scratches all over one of her arms—and other parts of her body Jack didn’t want to know about—along with a federal arrest record wouldn’t help her case.

She told him bright and early one morning that she had an appointment with a tattoo artist after Jack came back from his daily run. “Would you mind coming with me?” she asked, biting her lower lip and suddenly looking like she was twelve again. “I’m not sure how much it’s gonna hurt and I could use the moral support—the last thing I wanna do is shiv the guy in the kidney because I’m in pain.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Jack teased, grabbing the bottle of water from the fridge. “But sure thing, Riles, I’ll tag along,” he added, and Riley shot him a small, grateful smile before grabbing her laptop and putting on her headphones.

Jack watched her for a moment, and the headed to the bathroom to hop into the shower. Riley had been through a lot, too much if you asked Jack, and even though things were... rough between them for a while, they figured it out. For Jack she was practically his daughter, and Jack was very glad that they managed to patch things up and that she felt comfortable asking him for help when she needed it, even if it meant just keeping her company at the tattoo parlor. He also liked living with her a lot more than he thought he would. When she called and told him she was getting released early but had nowhere to go, Jack dug into his savings account and bought a small farmhouse-style house in one of LA’s better neighborhoods. He liked it because it reminded him of Texas, and she liked it because she got her own room for the first time in almost three years.

Once he showered and changed they headed out in Jack’s GTO, and Riley read him directions to the place from her phone. It was in Glendale so it wasn’t far, and once he pulled into a parallel spot outside the building Jack was pretty sure he had driven by it before. It was a low-to-the-ground building painted Creamsicle orange with windows full of tattoo art and old-style neon signs listing the services done inside. The place was called Phoenix Rising Tattoo and Piercing, and the artwork on the sign above the door was impressive, all orange and red and gold feathers on the flaming bird that shared its namesake.

Jack held the door for Riley and followed her into air conditioned bliss, and it was smaller on the inside than he expected. The floors were wood and there was a little reception desk off to the right that didn’t have anyone behind it. To the left was the piercing area—Jack could tell that much by all the jewelry on display as well as the chair—and further in were a couple of tattooing stations, also empty. It was early so they had to be the first appointment—and right on cue, a man emerged from the back room carrying a case of something under his arm.

He was maybe a little older than Riley, with shaggy blond hair that curled underneath his pierced ears and the bluest eyes Jack had ever seen. He was wearing a dark green t-shirt and jeans, and a multitude of tattoos spilled out from under his shirtsleeves all the way down to his wrists. He smiled at them and set the case in a nearby chair, then came over with his hand extended. “You must be Riley! It’s nice to meet you—Angus MacGyver, but most people just call me Mac.”

Jack had a quip about that name ready, but he bit his tongue—if this man was supposed to prod at Riley with needles, better not annoy him or piss him off. Plus he was kind of gorgeous, but the second that thought crossed his mind Jack cursed himself. This kid had to be around ten or maybe fifteen years younger than him, and right now Jack was being a creep. In the meantime, Riley shook Mac’s hand with a smile, and Jack saw in her eyes that she was in love with the place. He also noticed that Mac was eyeing him curiously so he gave him a friendly smile, offering a hand to shake. “I’m Jack.”

“He’s kind of my dad,” Riley added with a small smile, and damn, it sure as hell made Jack feel warm inside when he heard that. “I wanted him to come for some support, is that okay?”

Mac smiled back and shook Jack’s hand, his fingers slim but strong. “Sure, of course, that’s totally fine. Bringing one person is good, more than that and things start getting a little crowded.” He went over to the reception desk and picked up a tablet, tapping at it a few times. “Riley, I just need to see your ID and have you fill out some forms, and then we can talk about what you want to have done, okay?” He took pictures of her driver’s license and then handed her the tablet, so she went to the little sitting area by the desk to fill it out.

Jack looked around at some of the art on the walls and noticed about half of it had “A. MacGyver” scrawled somewhere within it. The place was clean as a whistle and surprisingly homey, if a little modern for Jack’s tastes. He watched curiously as Mac went over to what had to be his side of the tattooing area and opened the box he brought in, pulling out squeeze bottles full of what looked like paint—except it was ink, Jack realized with a mental head slap.

He was restocking a modular cabinet, and... Mac’s ass looked _good_ when he bent over like that.

He quickly forced himself to look away, his gaze going back to Riley... who was watching him from above the tablet with a knowing look on her face and a glint in their eyes, and Jack realized was busted. Better by her than Mac, but still.

He made a face at her, basically telling her to back off, but she only grinned in response before turning her attention back to the tablet. Jack forced himself to get a grip and went back to studying the art on the walls, and after a moment he turned back when he heard shuffling behind him. Riley was apparently done with the forms because she handed Mac back the tablet, and now that she didn’t have anything to occupy herself she started twisting her hands together, a small nervous gesture she’d had for as long as Jack could remember.

Mac spotted it immediately—he had to be used to seeing all kinds of nervous gestures—and he smiled reassuringly... with dimples. Why did he have _dimples_? “Hey, there’s nothing to be worried about,” he told her, guiding her over to sit in the tattooing chair. It was almost like a chair at the dentist’s office except it was made from black leather and chrome. “Now, how about I show you what I drew up for your left forearm?” When Riley nodded, Jack took a seat in the spare chair next to hers, and Mac straddled a rolling one. He pulled out another tablet, and this one was way higher quality than the one out front. On the screen was a meticulous drawing of a feather that was all tones of olive and gold and white. “I’m thinking this should cover that nicely,” Mac said, nodding toward a crude cluster of stars Riley had in the aforementioned spot. “There’s enough color and depth that it should hide it well. What do you think?”

The second Riley’s eyes fell on the drawing something shone in her eyes, and Jack already knew this was it. He took a closer look at the feather himself and he had to admit it was gorgeous. It was clear by now that Mac was very talented, and suddenly Jack found himself even more intrigued by him... but he quickly pushed that thought away. It wasn’t appropriate and Jack had to get a fucking grip, and considering what he did for a living that shouldn’t have been as hard as it was to do.

“Wow,” Riley breathed out, her eyes huge. “It’s beautiful.”

Jack found himself nodding even before Riley looked at him, a silent question in her gaze. “It’s amazing, baby girl. It suits you.”

“Awesome,” Mac said, and he looked pleased by their reactions to his work. He tapped something on the tablet and a printer started up in the cabinet. “Let me just get the transfer and we’ll see about placement.”

He grabbed the printout and used some scissors to cut around the outside of the feather, then put the design against the inside of Riley’s arm. They fiddled with where exactly she wanted it before he stuck it to her skin with isopropyl alcohol and peeled off the backing, revealing a purple outlined version of the feather that was void of color. Interestingly, the further they got into the process the more Riley seemed to relax—even when Mac started pulling out tattooing needles of various gauges.

He already had the inks he’d be using lined up in little plastic pots, so the only thing left for him to do was put on some gloves and pull out a disposable razor. “I’m gonna shave the area, put on some castile soap and then we can get started.”

Jack watched Mac get to work and his gaze inevitably moved to Mac’s forearms and his tattoos. He had... _a lot_ of them, and some were simple while others were more detailed, and Jack couldn’t help but wonder if there was a story behind every single one of them or if Mac had gotten some just for fun. Suddenly he was really curious, but he had a feeling that it wasn’t really appropriate to ask a complete stranger about the story behind his tattoos, so he bit his tongue and studied them in silence.

Or he was about to, but he only managed to look closely at the paperclip on the inside of Mac’s wrist before he was brought out of his thoughts by Mac’s voice. “I’m all set,” he said, looking at Riley. “Are you?”

“Yeah, I am,” Riley said, and there was a hint of surprise behind the words, like she thought she wouldn’t be. “Go for it.”

Mac flashed her a grin and Jack actually felt his heart jump in his chest—this guy was easily the most beautiful person he had ever seen. He pressed a pedal on the floor with his foot and the tattoo gun in his hand buzzed to life, reminding Jack of the underground hornet nest he stepped in once as a kid. Riley and Jack both watched as he dipped the needle on the gun in black ink and then pressed it to Riley’s skin, creating a tiny line that would make up part of the outside of the feather. She didn’t even wince at the pain and Jack relaxed a little.

“So how long have you been doing this?” the question was out of Jack’s mouth before he could bite his tongue, but he was just so _curious_.

Mac didn’t look away from what he was doing, but one corner of his mouth curved up a little. “Professionally? Two years. Before that I apprenticed under Desi—we run the shop together—at another parlor, DXS. And before _that_ , I was in the Army.”

Jack blinked a few times, his mouth hanging open in shock. He could tell Riley was surprised as well, watching Mac with a curious gaze, but he knew he was more surprised because he also was in the Army, he knew plenty of Army guys, and Mac just didn’t look the part. “What? You’re serious?” he asked, and after a moment he realized he sounded like an asshole. “So was I, man. Where did you serve?”

This time Mac did look up, but not while the gun was going—he had to get more ink. “Afghanistan,” he replied, offering Jack a shrug and a slightly sheepish smile. “I know I don’t exactly look like it now, but I was an EOD tech.” He gave Jack a slow once-over before he turned his attention back to Riley’s tattoo, but that one look was enough to make Jack’s whole body flush hot. “What about you? You strike me as the special forces type.” He had to turn his arm to get a different angle on his work, and Jack picked out another tattoo from the mosaics on Mac’s arms—a cartoon-style bomb shaped like a cannonball.

“Delta Force,” Jack said with a nod, growing more fascinated with Mac with every passing minute. There was just something... captivating about him, but Jack couldn’t quite put his finger on it. “EOD, huh? That’s some serious stuff, man, I’ve always admired you guys for what you do out there.” Jack meant every word of that, he’d met a fair share of EOD techs during his career and he always respected the hell out of them and what they did.

Mac grinned again, and this time that brilliant smile was directed at Jack, the full force of it almost enough to knock him out of his chair. “A lot of people think we’re crazy,” he pointed out, drawing a few crisp, clean lines into Riley’s skin. “Then again, I’m sure you’ve encountered your fair share of that being Delta Force. I always thought you guys were pretty cool too.” Riley didn’t say a word, but a glance at her told Jack she was smiling as she looked at her phone with her free hand, clearly amused by their establishment of a mutual appreciation squad. “Desi was actually one of the first female Rangers,” Mac continued, and he was about halfway around the outside of the feather. “She’ll be in later, I’m sure you two will get along like a house on fire.”

It didn’t ring a bell the first time Mac mentioned the person running the shop with him, but Jack stilled, his brain working overtime. The name sounded familiar, almost too familiar, and now that Mac mentioned the Rangers.... “When you say Desi...” Jack started slowly. “You don’t by any chance mean Desiree Nguyen, do you?”

Mac nodded. “Yeah, that’s her. You guys know each other?”

“I helped train her, I had a teaching gig at the Ranger Academy for a while,” Jack replied, a little shocked. “She was top of her class, super smart, tough as hell.”

“That sounds like Desi,” Mac said, and for a moment Jack wondered if maybe Desi and Mac were an item—but no, the pride in his voice just seemed friendly. “She’s also a killer tattoo artist, almost all the art I have is from her, and I’ve done almost all of hers.”

“That’s impressive,” Jack said, wondering how Desi ended up in LA running a tattoo parlor. That was about the last place he expected to run into her, but hey, life was funny sometimes, Jack’s especially. Then he realized that he had kind of been ignoring Riley.

Mac seemed to come to that conclusion too because he glanced up at the same time, looking at Riley with a slightly apologetic gaze... _and_ looking incredibly cute. “You doing okay, Riley? We kind of got lost in the conversation over here,” he gave her a sheepish smile, and Jack whined internally because he was just so adorable.

“Oh no, I’m fine,” Riley said, looking from Jack to Mac and back again, a knowing grin on her face. “Just watching a real-life rom com play out in front of me, that’s all.” Jack felt himself turn an unflattering shade of red, and Mac had to take his foot off the pedal before his tattooing hand faltered. “See? Adorable,” Riley added, and went back to playing Candy Crush.

Mac was done with the outline of the feather and moved on to the inside line art, and was it Jack’s imagination or was he blushing too? “You and Desi would get along great too, Riley,” Mac said, clearing his throat a little. “She’s been trying to set me up with someone since I broke up with my boyfriend.”

Riley threw him a curious glance while Jack tried not to make an absolute idiot of himself because... boyfriend? That’s... interesting. He metaphorically kicked himself because it didn’t matter if Mac was gay, bisexual or whatever he was, he was still so much younger than Jack and so completely out of his league that it hurt. The sound of the door opening snapped him out of his thoughts and he saw Desi walk in, looking just like he remembered her, the only difference being the multitude of tattoos on her body. She was balancing some bags in her arms and didn’t see him right away, and Jack glanced at Riley and saw her watching Desi... oh no, if he was looking at Mac the way Riley was looking at Desi, they were both screwed.

“Hey, Mac,” Desi called out, and then she looked up, her eyes widening when she saw Jack. “... Dalton?”

“The one and only,” Jack said with more confidence than he felt, and got to his feet. She put the bags down and opens her arms, so he gave her a hug. “How you been, Dez?”

“Pretty good,” she said into his shoulder, dark eyes searching his face when she pulled away. “Of all the people I could see in Mac’s eight o’clock slot, I didn’t figure it’d be you.”

“He’s my dad, more or less,” Riley chirped from her seat, awkwardly crossing her right hand over her body for Desi to shake. “I’m Riley.”

“Feather girl,” Desi said, smiling as she shook her hand. “I presume Mac’s been treating you well?”

“No, I’ve been stabbing her repeatedly with a needle,” Mac said dryly, laughing when Desi flicked the side of his head on her way to her station. It was a beautiful sound, happy and bright, and even his sense of humor was right up Jack’s alley. He couldn’t help but chuckle as well and sat back on the chair, almost falling on the floor when Mac winked at him, eyes shining with amusement. It was clear that Mac and Desi were close, but much to Jack’s relief he sensed sibling vibes between them instead of romantic ones. “So, Jack,” Mac’s voice made Jack look up, and he saw Mac watching him curiously. “Since we established what we both used to do, and what I’m doing now... what is it that you do?”

He blinked those pretty blue eyes at Jack, and Jack suddenly had to strain his memory to remember what his official cover was these days. “I’m a bathroom tile salesman,” Jack said after a beat, which earned him raised eyebrows from Mac, and he felt Desi’s skeptical gaze boring into the back of his head. “I know, it’s weird, but it pays the bills. Besides, out here in LA some yuppie is always redoing their shower, and that’s where I come in.”

To his relief Desi didn’t say anything, but he could practically see the gears turning in Mac’s head and knew he didn’t buy it. “You know, the master bathroom at my house could use some work,” Mac mused, trading out his detailing needle for a larger one. “Maybe you could come by and give me a price on a remodel.”

Not for the first time in Jack’s life he wondered why his cover wasn’t related to something he actually knew shit about, but he’d managed for this many years so hopefully he wouldn’t blow it. “Yeah, sure, man,” Jack said, trying his best to sound confident and casual, and why was this so damn hard? Lying about himself was literally his job, and not to brag or anything, but he was fucking amazing at it, he shouldn’t have been struggling. “I’ll even give you a discount,” Jack added with a grin, mentally smacking himself because the tone of his voice sounded a little _too_ flirty.

Mac met his gaze and held it for a moment before he started laying down white highlights inside the feather. “I’d like that,” he said, and oh God, was he flirting _back_?

Jack heard more than saw Desi walk into the reception desk in surprise, swearing under her breath, and a moment later he smelled coffee brewing. “You guys caffeine addicts like us?” Desi asked, pulling mugs out from under the desk. “Oh look, Bozer actually washed them this time. Who wants a cup besides me?”

“You know you don’t have to ask me,” Mac said, not tearing his gaze away from Riley’s tattoo.

“Hey, Jack?” Desi called out, standing by the door leading to the back. “Give me a hand with the coffee?” she asked, smiling sweetly at him, and Jack may not have seen her for a while, but he knew that Desi was _not_ sweet, which made her sweet smiles the most dangerous ones.

“Sure,” he said, squaring his shoulders and getting up, following her to the back. They went through a door into an area which was half break room and half storage closet. Another door led to a bathroom, but that was about all Jack had time to take in before Desi shut the door behind him and crossed her arms over her chest. Her tattooed chest, Jack noted, with words in script that he wasn’t going to bend close enough to read and a floral design between her breasts.

“Okay, Dalton, what the hell are you doing?” Desi asked, cocking an eyebrow. “We both know you aren’t a fucking bathroom tile salesman—and here’s a hint, so does Mac. He’s a genius and he saw right through that.”

Jack’s first instinct was to lie, to go deeper into his cover, but... even though it’d been years he trusted Desi. Technically, they weren’t supposed to reveal their job even to their closest family members, but Jack was never one to follow the rules—Riley knew because Jack wasn’t about to lie to her when they started rebuilding their relationship. She would’ve found out on her own anyway, Jack had no doubt about that. And since Desi questioned him, he didn’t really have a choice here either.

“You know how this works, Dez,” Jack said, keeping his voice quiet. “It’s not like I can go around saying I’m CIA, especially to a total stranger.”

“Is he a total stranger you’d like to go on a date with?” Desi asked, not backing down an inch, and Jack knew he’d been made. He nodded carefully and her posture relaxed a little. “Then start telling him the truth when he asks you questions. He probably let it slide because he thinks you’re cute and he’s already guessed what you do for a living, but Mac doesn’t like liars. His dad was one, and so was his ex-boyfriend.” Her face softened as she started pouring them all coffee, pointing out where the cream and sugar were so Jack could grab them. “Mac’s a sweet guy, but he doesn’t always read social cues well and people like to take advantage of that. Don’t be one of them.”

For some reason Jack felt protectiveness rush through him, the need to protect Mac from anyone who hurt him—and that was ridiculous, he just met the guy! He was also even more fascinated by him, because apparently not only was he gorgeous and super talented, but also some kind of genius. Even though Jack would’ve love nothing more than to take him out... would Mac even be interested in an older dude like him? “I’m... wait a second.” Jack’s eyes widened when he remembered something Desi said. “He thinks I’m cute?”

Desi rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “Oh my God, _yes_ , he thinks you’re cute! He doesn’t flirt like that with just anyone, especially not after Murdoc.” When Jack made a questioning sound—he was still kind of in shock, okay, words weren’t coming easily—she clarified, “Our landlord and a grade-A pasteurized douchebag. They went out for a while, and since Mac broke things off with him he’s turned into a real prick—but you didn’t hear any of that from me.” She picked up all four mugs with amazing dexterity and they went back out into the parlor, where a third woman had entered and was setting up at the piercing station.

She looked to be around Desi and Mac’s age, with straight brown hair and a kind smile. She also had piercings in her ears, nose, and eyebrows. “Hey, I’m Leanna,” she said, waving a little. “I do all the piercings.”

Jack gave her a friendly smile, and grabbed his coffee mug from Desi before going back to the chair he was sitting in before. Mac gave him a curious look, a small smile playing on his lips. Jack didn’t know if he suspected Desi talked to him about his job, but Mac didn’t say anything, so Jack just smiled back, his heart kind of fluttering. Then he turned his attention to Riley since she was the reason he was even there. “How you feelin’, Riles?”

“I’m fine,” Riley said, putting her phone in her lap in favor of taking the mug of coffee Desi offers her. Their fingers brushed, and Jack swore he saw Desi start blushing before she turned back toward her own station. “So who’s Bozer and why can’t he wash mugs?”

“He’s my best friend, and Leanna’s fiancé,” Mac said, taking a large gulp of coffee before he got back to tattooing—while Jack was gone he finished the highlights and was adding colors, starting with the olive green. “They’re actually getting married in a couple of weeks.”

“Hey, congrats,” Riley said, turning her head to Leanna who smiled widely.

In the meantime, Jack was trying to stop imagining how Mac would look in a suit and he reached the conclusion that he would most definitely be hot. It was pathetic how he couldn’t seem to get himself together, and he searched for something to distract himself. His gaze wandered back to Mac’s tattoos, but that turned out to be unfortunate because Jack’s first thought was to wonder if there are more _under_ Mac’s clothes... Jesus, he was fucked.

“You okay, Jack?” Mac’s voice made him snap his head up to find Mac watching him with an amused look on his face.

Before Jack could pull himself together enough to reply in a way that wasn’t super creepy, Desi’s voice piped up from near the desk: “Hey Mac, bad news—your noon appointment just canceled.”

“Shit,” Mac said, rubbing over Riley’s tattoo with castile soap to take away the excess color so he could see what he was doing. “Guess I’ll just head home after this one.”

“Or you could go out to lunch with me?” Jack suggested, his mouth moving before his brain caught up. Since the idea was already out there he pressed forward, butterflies rolling in his stomach. “I know a great little diner that’s not too far from here—it ain’t fancy, but the food’s good.”

Mac looked up from Riley’s tattoo, his blue eyes watching Jack carefully. After a few seconds that felt like hours, a smile appeared on Mac’s face. “Sure,” he said, his eyes glinting, and Jack felt like he could breathe again.

Then he remembered he drove Riley there, and he glanced at her but she was grinning and waving him off. “I’ll be fine, Jack, I’ll get an Uber or something.”

“I can give you a ride,” Leanna volunteered, tucking her hair behind a barbelled ear. “I have to go pick up Bozer around then, he’ll be getting out of class.”

“He’s a film student and he works here when he can,” Desi explained, standing to greet a customer that was already heavily tattooed and sat down in her tattooing chair with what could only be described as a slightly masochistic grin on his face.

“So how many tattoos do you have?” Riley asked Mac, and Jack almost spat out his coffee. Was she reading his mind?

“Quite a few,” Mac replied, seemingly unbothered by the question. To Jack’s untrained eye, it looks like he was about two-thirds done with Riley’s tat, and with a start Jack realized over two hours had passed. “I kinda stopped counting after I had my first sleeve done. At least twenty-five, I think.”

Twenty-five.

Sweet Lord, Jack was going to die, because now the only thing he could think about was mapping out every single one of them with his tongue. And that way he could actually count them for Mac... Jack shook his head a little, but thankfully Mac was looking down at Riley’s tattoo and didn’t notice it.

Riley did and she raised her eyebrow, smirking knowingly. “Damn, that’s a lot,” she commented, looking back at Mac. “They’re gorgeous though.”

Mac smiled, showing off those dimples again. “Thanks. Some of them were more painful than others.” He dipped into the gold color, stared at it for a moment, and then mixed some more pigment into it. Satisfied, he started using it on Riley’s skin. “My back piece probably took the longest—I think that was like, eight or nine sessions? Desi, do you remember?”

“Mhmm, it was only that long because of the scarring,” Desi said, her tone absent as she placed a stencil on her client.

Mac went stiff for a moment before relaxing again, and it was so quick that Jack almost thought he imagined it. “Scars are harder to tattoo over,” he explained for Jack and Riley’s benefit. “Any type of anomaly to the skin is. It can be done, it just takes longer.”

Jack didn’t ask why Mac had scars on his back, and thankfully neither did Riley. It was none of his business, they barely knew each other, but once again there was this rush of anger at the thought that someone could have hurt Mac. Jack also tried not to think about the fact that apparently there was some kind of tattoo on Mac’s back, probably a big one, and at this point Jack was begging his own brain to just... stop.

“You could get your scars covered, you have plenty,” Riley said to Jack, her eyes glinting mischievously, and Jack swore she was doing this shit on purpose. “You know, if you weren’t afraid of needles.”

“Hey!” Jack exclaimed, because he couldn’t have Mac the tattoo artist thinking he was afraid of needles, no. “I’m not afraid of needles.”

“Hey man, they scare me too,” the large tattooed man in Desi’s chair chimed in. “You send me in to get a flu shot and I fall on the floor, but getting tattooed is a totally different experience!”

Mac’s shoulders were hunched forward and he stopped tattooing, and it took Jack a second to realize he was laughing and trying to hide it. “I swear I’m not afraid of needles, she’s pulling your leg,” Jack insisted, and he knew where Riley was getting this from. “Just because you went to the dentist with me that _one_ time when you were _nine_ and saw me pass out after they gave me novocaine doesn’t mean I’m afraid of needles!”

“Are you sure about that?” Leanna asked from behind him, and when Jack turned around he yelped and almost jumped out of his seat because she held what was quite possibly the largest piercing needle on the planet. “I could give you a bullring in your nose and we could test that theory.”

“ _That_ is not a needle, that’s a dagger, and it’s not coming anywhere near me,” Jack said, his voice steady—he was _not_ afraid of needles, end of story. “I’m fine with needles, come on!”

Mac finally managed to stop shaking with silent laughter, and when he sat up straight he actually had to wipe some tears from his eyes. “That’s okay, man, I believe you,” he said, gaze shining with mirth, and for a moment Jack forgot about the entire discussion because he was just _so_ damn beautiful. After some more buzzing from the tattoo gun and continued ribbing about needles at Jack’s expense, Mac sat back from Riley’s arm. “I think we’re done,” he declared, something proud in his expression. He tossed the used needles in a sharps box and bent to get a dressing from a drawer in his cart.

Riley looked at her new tattoo almost reverently, and Jack thought that not only was it a gorgeous piece of artwork, it also covered up a terrible memory. “Thank you so much,” Riley said to Mac when he straightened up again, her lower lip wobbling a little. “I... I can’t wait to come back and have you do the one on my stomach.”

“And I can’t wait to tattoo you again, you’re a great client,” Mac said, sincerity in the words.

He put a clear breathable bandage on the feather and gave her aftercare instructions on a pamphlet, and then they all got up and move to the desk. Riley paid for the tattoo plus Mac’s time, and Jack was surprised to see it only came out to $300—no wonder Mac was upset when he heard about his cancelled client.

Mac went and washed his hands in the back, and when he returned he had a pair of sunglasses on his head. “So, where’s this diner that’s supposed to impress me?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys SO MUCH for all the wonderful comments on the first chapter!!! It's nice to know that we weren't the first ones to imagine Mac covered in tattoos lol. This chapter gives some backstory on Mac, contains some first time feelsy smut, and ends with a little cliffhanger. Hope you enjoy!

Jack stared at him for several seconds before he replied. “It’s... it’s just a few minutes by car. Come on, I’ll drive.” They walked out of the parlor and Jack smiled when Mac ducked his head as Jack held the door open for him.

He led him to his car and Mac let out a low whistle when they reached his GTO. “Nice car,” he said, his voice impressed.

“Thanks, man, she’s kind of my baby,” Jack said, running a hand over the GTO’s hood fondly. He opened Mac’s car door for him too, and then they were on their way to the diner. Jack had to be careful to watch the road and not get distracted by... well, everything about Mac, but they made it there in one piece.

And once they were in a booth, he could tell immediately that Mac liked the cracked red vinyl seats and the jukebox. “This is cool,” he said, and when he looked at the menu he groaned a little. “Oh awesome, they’ve got cheeseburgers—I’ve been craving one.” Then he quirked an eyebrow at Jack over the top of the menu. “Go ahead, I know you’ve been sitting on a beef related joke since I introduced myself.”

Jack blinked at him before groaning and hiding his face in his hands, elbows propped up on the table. “You don’t miss anything, do you?” Jack muttered loud enough for Mac to hear, and Mac laughed. “Well, I’m not gonna say anything _now_ , forget about it,” Jack said with a grin. “And correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure you must have heard all the jokes by now.”

“I have, yeah,” Mac said, grinning back, and when the waitress came to take their drink orders he rested his forearms on the table and Jack couldn’t help but look. He picked out the bomb and the paperclip from before, but he also noticed a cluster of blood red roses with a bright green snake winding around its thorny stem. They both order coffee and since they knew what they wanted to eat they put in for that too, with Jack stealing Mac’s cheeseburger idea. Once the waitress left, Mac extended his arms in Jack’s direction, palms flat against the table. “Here, you can look if you want to. You keep trying to be subtle about it.”

Mac _really_ didn’t miss anything and Jack wasn’t even surprised at this point. “I’m sorry.” Jack gave him a sheepish smile, but his gaze was drawn to the tattoos. “I’m just... curious, that’s all,” he said, not wanting Mac to think he had some kind of a problem with the tattoos. “Riley said it best, they’re really gorgeous.”

“Thank you,” Mac said, and he ducked his head again, smiling. Slowly, carefully, Jack reached out and touched Mac’s left wrist, prompting him to turn his arm over. Much like their handshake, that touch felt like a spark, and Jack saw in Mac’s eyes that he felt it too. On the inside of this forearm was a pocket watch, hanging from a row of tiny storm clouds and Jack left his fingers against Mac’s skin without realizing it. “So I was only sort of kidding about the bathroom thing,” Mac said, his voice oddly hoarse. “I know you’re not actually a bathroom tile salesman, but I kinda need somebody to help me remodel. I could pay you, if you want?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, you don’t have to pay me. I’d love to help,” Jack said softly, and then took a deep breath and looked into Mac’s eyes. “And you’re... you’re right, I’m not a bathroom tile salesman.” Mac didn’t say anything, only watched Jack with a calm expression on his face. “I’m sorry I lied to you, but... well. Since you could tell I was lying, what do you think I do?”

“You’re CIA,” Mac said, and his tone was... normal. He didn’t pull away from Jack’s touch; in fact, to Jack’s amazement, Mac shifted so that he could hold one of Jack’s hands. His thumb skimmed Jack’s scarred knuckles. “You’ve been working in country for a while though, probably because of Riley?” When Jack nodded, Mac smiled at him. “That’s really nice, I’m sure she appreciates it.”

Jack nodded again and after a moment he squeezed Mac’s hand. “You don’t... you’re not bothered by it?” he asked, unable to keep the wonder and uncertainty out of his voice. In his line of work any kind of dating was usually impossible—secrets and his work were enough to destroy any relationship. But Mac seemed... seemed so cool about it that it kind of blew Jack’s mind.

“Should I be?” Mac shrugged. “It’s a job, Jack, and it’s not all that different from the Army. I... might’ve done something similar, if I hadn’t gotten blown up right before my last tour ended.” He hesitated for a moment, then turned one of his biceps enough that Jack could see the back. It was covered in the dark blues and purples of a galaxy, but underneath the pigment he noticed the skin was rougher than the rest of Mac’s body. “IED caught me from behind. They pulled two pounds of shrapnel out of me and somehow none of it hit my spine or any vital organs.”

Jack inhaled sharply through his nose, swallowing hard. “Shit, Mac,” he whispered, involuntarily squeezing Mac’s hand a bit tighter. “That... that’s awful, man. Shit, you got so lucky,” he breathed out, knowing that Mac might have not survived the blast or gotten more seriously injured by it. “I’m glad you did,” Jack added softly, giving Mac a shadow of a smile.

“I didn’t see it that way, at least not at first,” Mac admitted. “Rehab sucked, and I was in pain a lot. I couldn’t really do much for a while, so Desi started teaching me to draw in her free time—and you can see where this is going.” He smiled and when the food came Mac let go of Jack’s hand, but slowly, like he didn’t actually want to. “Okay, this looks really good,” he said, picking up the burger... and taking a huge, sloppy bite, heedless of what it looked like. And if Jack wasn’t cruising steadily toward being in love already, watching Mac eat a cheeseburger with grease dripping down his chin would’ve started him on that path.

“Told you the food was great here,” Jack said with a grin before diving into his cheeseburger as well.

They didn’t talk much while they ate, mostly because choking on a burger during the first date (and Jack really, _really_ hoped this was a date) wasn’t good. Once they were done and the waitress took their empty plates, Mac reached over the table to grab Jack’s hand again, a small smile on his face. They held hands until the waitress returned with the check, and then Jack pulled out his wallet.

Mac started to protest, but Jack held up a hand and said, “This was my idea, I invited you out, I’m paying. Maybe... maybe you can get the next one?”

And Mac practically beamed at him, and it was like getting blinded by the sun in the best possible way. “I was hoping you’d say that,” he told Jack as they got up to leave... and hooked his fingers through Jack’s again, and oh God, is Jack’s palm sweating? That would be embarrassing. “So, um, I don’t know if you’re busy this afternoon or not... but you wanna come over and see the bathroom, maybe make a trip to Home Depot? I’ll buy you dinner later.”

Jack wasn’t busy, and even if he’d had plans he would’ve canceled them all to spend more time with Mac. “Not busy at all,” Jack said as they walk to the car, and once again he opened the door for Mac. It meant letting go of his hand but it was a necessary evil, Jack would live somehow. Once he got behind the wheel, he looked at Mac expectantly. “So, where to?”

Mac gave him directions to Laurel Canyon, which was a bit of an eyebrow-raiser because while Mac’s shop obviously did well, he didn’t strike Jack as the kind with a ton of money. And he wasn’t: apparently when his grandfather died he willed him the house, and up until recently Bozer had been Mac’s roommate. “He moved in with Leanna about six months ago—they wanted to get settled in before the wedding,” Mac explained as they pulled into the driveway. A pickup truck was already sitting there, and Mac added, “That’s mine, Desi dropped me off at the shop this morning before she went to buy some stuff.” They got out of the GTO and Mac unlocked the front door... and the inside of the house took Jack’s breath away. It was clear that Mac’s grandfather put a ton of thought into the layout when he built it, and everything from the glass block wall to the deck out back was amazing. “Cool, right?” Mac said, and when Jack nodded he smiled a little... but it was sad. “Yeah. Too bad I have to sell it.”

Jack was still taking everything in, so a few seconds went by before he registered what Mac said, but once he did his head snapped in his direction, eyes wide. “What? Why?” Besides being amazing and spacious, the house also meant a lot to Mac in a sentimental way, which was completely understandable. It also felt warm and homey and Jack loved it already, and even though he’d been there for about a minute, he couldn’t imagine Mac living anywhere else.

Mac sighed, tossing his sunglasses on the coffee table and scraping his hands through his hair. “I know Desi told you something about my ex,” he started, and Jack nodded again, taking a half-step closer—not trying to crowd him, he just... he needed to be closer. “Murdoc didn’t take me breaking up with him very well, so he’s making all kinds of improvements to the buildings he owns, including ours. The rent is going up in three months and I don’t have the money to cover the difference—and if I don’t pay him, he’ll shut us down and have our equipment repossessed.” He shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. “So the only solution I could come up with would be to sell the house, but the bathroom does need to be fixed before I can do that... and I keep putting it off because the last thing I want to do is let this place go.”

“He’s doing all of that just because you broke up with him? That’s crazy, man,” Jack said quietly, and he hated seeing Mac so miserable. “Maybe you could... I don’t know, find another place to open the parlor at? With rent similar to what you’re paying now?” Jack suggested, trying to come up with some kind of solution. “Or... well, I suppose reasoning with the man is out of question?” He wondered if maybe _he_ could have a chat with him, since Jack could be _very_ convincing when he wanted to be.

“Murdoc’s... not really a reasonable guy,” Mac said with a wince. He wrapped his arms loosely around himself in an imitation of a hug and suddenly looked much younger than he was. “He seems that way at first—he _seems_ like he’s a lot of things, but in reality he’s kind of a psychopath.” His gaze flicked to Jack’s and stayed there, and Jack suddenly wondered if the intense _thing_ he felt between them went both ways. “As for moving the parlor somewhere else, it’s a nice thought... but so much of LA is gentrifying, the rents are crazy and if they’re not, people don’t want a tattoo parlor near them. We still get a bad reputation.” He sighed again, blinking hard as he looked away. “Sorry, man, I didn’t mean to dump all this on you... I just don’t know what to do, and I don’t want to put it on Desi and Leanna. This is my mess.”

Jack took another step closer to Mac and he was itching to pull him into a hug and hold him, but he wasn’t sure it would be welcome. Instead he gently touched Mac’s arm, squeezing it lightly. “You know, a good thing about friends is that they help us with our messes,” he said quietly, a small smile playing on his lips. “You don’t have to deal with that all by yourself, you know?” Mac still wasn’t looking at him, but he wasn’t pushing Jack’s hand away either. “We’ll figure something out, I’m—” Jack paused abruptly, realizing he said _we_ , and the last thing he wanted was to scare Mac away or pressure him into something. “I’m... I don’t mean to assume anything—”

“You can,” Mac blurted out, his arms falling to his sides, and in the shuffle he grabbed Jack’s hand before it could slip away. “Assume, I mean. I’d... I want you to.”

He took a step forward of his own and now they were... close. Not touching, not anywhere besides their hands, but Jack felt Mac’s body heat and saw the individual shades of blue that made up his eyes. They were completely quiet for a moment, and Jack thoughts raced, his heart pounding. It was... impossible to feel the way he felt about Mac after knowing someone for less than a day, but... Jack couldn’t help it. His gaze flicked down to Mac’s lips, just for a split second, before going back to his eyes, but he knew Mac noticed… and he was still standing so close... so before he could overthink it, Jack leaned in and tilted his head, pressing their lips together in a soft kiss.

Mac made a little sound in the back of his throat and kissed back immediately, slow and sweet. He let go of Jack’s hand but only to twine those lovely tattooed arms around his neck, pressing their bodies together gently. Jack settled his hands on Mac’s waist, over his shirt, and almost went weak at the knees from how good kissing him felt. Mac’s lips were soft and even though the kiss was chaste, Jack couldn’t get enough. After a moment, Mac’s tongue hesitantly pressed against Jack’s lower lip, and Jack breathed in harshly through his nose, opening up for him and moaning softly when Mac’s tongue slipped into his mouth. He wrapped his arms around Mac’s waist, pulling him even closer, his hands resting flatly on Mac’s back.

Jack had kissed a lot of people in his time, it was part of his job, but whether it was for work or in his personal life, it had never felt like this before. Kissing Mac was like... like coming home, like something he should’ve been doing for ages now. And evidently Mac felt the same way, because when they eventually broke apart he didn’t move back, just stared at Jack with those brilliant eyes. His fingertips touched Jack’s cheek, and Jack saw flashes of color from his tattoos out of the corner of his eye.

“Where have you been all my life?” Mac murmured, and Jack’s heart was going to fucking explode soon, he could’ve died right here in Mac’s living room.

Exhaling shakily, Jack leaned in to kiss the corner of Mac’s mouth, lingering there for a moment. “I have no idea,” he whispered, his lips pressed against Mac’s skin. “But apparently not where I should have been.”

He kissed Mac’s cheek next before leaning back a little to look into those beautiful blue eyes. He kept one hand on Mac’s back and reached with the other one to brush Mac’s hair out of his eyes and tug it behind his pierced ear, and god, his hair was just as soft as it looked. Mac actually leaned into his touch and after a moment Jack pulled him into another kiss. Mac kissed Jack like he never wanted to stop, like the house could’ve exploded around them and he wouldn’t care—and honestly, Jack understood that mentality because being this close to him was addicting.

He smelled like soap and ink and sunshine and Jack let his hand slide down from Mac’s hair to hold the side of his neck, thumb brushing at his jaw as their tongues moved together again. Mac still had one of his arms around Jack’s neck, but the hand that touched his face moved lower, sliding over his chest and abs before Mac wrapped that arm around his waist. It felt... amazing, perfect, and unbelievable, and Jack never wanted to let Mac go. And he didn’t mean just now with the kissing—he meant in general, he never wanted to let Mac go and he didn’t care that they just met.

Eventually they broke apart again and Jack couldn’t tear his gaze away from Mac’s eyes, and it should’ve scared him how much he wanted him... but it didn’t. “We were... we were supposed to take a look at you bathroom,” he whispered against Mac’s lips before nuzzling his cheek, still holding him close.

Mac hummed an acknowledgement, blinking long eyelashes at Jack. “We _were_ supposed to do that,” he confirmed, a smile forming at the corners of that lovely mouth. “Problem is, that means walking through my bedroom. And I’m going to have a hard time resisting the urge to keep you in there.” He paused. “Which I realize might be too much too soon, but I am sorely tempted to put out right after the first date.”

Jack made a small sound in the back of his throat and he actually shivered a little at Mac’s words. “You’re not the only one,” he muttered, kissing Mac’s cheek again. He just couldn’t help himself, his self-control was nonexistent at this point.

The thought of Mac keeping him in his bedroom was more than tempting—Jack didn’t understand how it was possible for him to want Mac _so bad_ after literally just meeting him, but he did. But Mac had a point, it _would_ be too soon... right? They stood there for a moment longer, and then Mac stepped back—but only to grab Jack’s hand again and pull him down a hallway. The next thing Jack knew they were in Mac’s room, and there was so much going on he didn’t know where to look first. Tattoo magazines and sketchpads sat at odds with chemistry sets and all kinds of other geeky stuff Jack couldn’t put a name to.

And he didn’t give a damn, not once Mac framed his face with his hands, something excited but uncertain and a little shy all rolled into one in his expression. “Please tell me this isn’t a mistake,” he whispered, their lips only an inch apart. “I want this, Jack... but I want to keep you afterward, too.”

“It doesn’t feel like a mistake,” Jack whispered back, placing his hands on Mac’s hips. “It feels right.” He leaned in to give Mac a slow, sweet kiss, even though he was almost literally vibrating with the need for more—so was Mac, but Jack needed to make one more thing clear first. “I’m not going anywhere, Mac. This isn’t just some... casual sex thing for me. This is serious.”

Mac exhaled shakily, his breath hot on Jack’s lips, and then he was pulling Jack in for another kiss. This one was harder, more heated, and with a clear intent behind it, so Jack wrapped his arms around Mac to pull him even closer. Mac’s arms circled Jack’s neck again as their tongues slid together, and after a moment Jack moved his hand lower, tentatively placing it on Mac’s ass. Mac smiled against Jack’s mouth when he felt that touch, backing up toward the bed until his knees hit the mattress. Then he tipped backward and pulled Jack with him, not breaking the kiss. He did, however, spread his legs so Jack could settle in between them, and that... that broke Jack’s brain a little.

In turn he broke the kiss, trailing his lips over the soft skin of Mac’s cheek to his jaw, nipping lightly, the hand that was between the mattress and Mac’s ass squeezing. Mac moaned softly when Jack’s teeth grazed his skin, so he moved lower to Mac’s throat. Mac threw his head back, giving Jack more space, so he started sucking a bruise into his delicate skin, his free hand wandering into Mac’s hair. He tangled his fingers in it, still nipping on Mac’s neck, and Mac arched a little underneath him, his fingers digging into Jack’s shoulders.

“God, Jack,” Mac breathed out when Jack trailed his lips lower to suck a bruise on his neck right above the collar of his shirt.

Jack was sure his name had never sounded that beautiful before. It felt like they should’ve been doing this for years, like something Jack didn’t know he was missing had crawled into his heart and made itself at home. That should’ve terrified him since they only met a few hours ago, but... once again, it just _didn’t_. He brought his hand around from Mac’s ass to the hem of his shirt in a silent question, and the next thing he knew Mac was wriggling out of it completely.

“Look at you,” Jack murmured, taking in Mac’s lean yet toned physique, but also more tattoos. There was a blue butterfly spread on his abdomen just below his pecs, matching colorful starbursts curving around his hip bones. “Prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“You’re insane,” Mac said softly, a pretty blush coloring his cheeks, and Jack could Mac didn’t really believe him. “Also, you’re way too dressed,” Mac added with a small grin, tugging on his shirt, so Jack sat up a little to take it off and toss it on the floor.

“I mean it, darlin’,” Jack murmured, reattaching his lips to Mac’s skin, nipping on his collarbone. He couldn’t wait to get his lips on Mac’s tattoos, but he was going to take his time. “You’re so damn beautiful.”

Jack smiled a little, nuzzling Mac’s skin before pressing a soft kiss to the butterfly. Then he moved lower, licking and nipping his way down until he reached Mac’s hip. He sucked a bruise over there as well, biting harder and loving the moan Mac let out, and then he moved to Mac’s bellybutton, sliding lower until he was nipping on Mac’s skin right above the button of his jeans. Jack brought his hands around to toy with that button, looking up at Mac with a question in his eyes.

Mac’s lustful gaze softened a little, brushing the backs of his fingers over Jack’s cheek. “Yeah, go ahead,” he breathed, and moaned when Jack got his jeans open and slid his fingers inside Mac’s boxer-briefs.

He wrapped them around Mac’s cock and drew it out, stroking him, and Mac’s hands fell away from Jack to twist in the bedspread on either side of his hips. Jack wrapped his hand around the base of Mac’s cock and licked over the head before taking it in his mouth and sucking a little. Mac let out a loud whine, throwing his head back, already breathing heavily. Slowly, Jack sunk lower and eventually removed his hand, taking Mac’s cock all in and swallowing around him. Mac actually whimpered, his hips twitching, and Jack put his arm over them to pin him down and stop him from moving.

“Oh god, Jack,” Mac cried out when Jack started bobbing his head up and down, swallowing around him every now and then, loving how Mac’s cock hit the back of his throat. Jack hummed a little around him and watched how Mac reacts—the way his eyebrows furrowed, how he bit his lower lip, the way his chest heaved when he took in a breath. Jack took him in to the root and swallowed around him, and the next thing he knew Mac’s hands were scrabbling at his shoulders. “Jack, hey—unless you want this to end way too soon you should probably get back up here,” he said breathlessly, maybe self-consciously—and nope, Jack couldn’t have that.

He pulled off Mac’s cock, but only to focus on getting out of his own jeans and helping Mac kick his off. Their underwear went next, and then Jack was kissing his way back up to Mac’s lips. “What did you have in mind?” he asked lowly, mouthing at Mac’s jaw again.

Mac shuddered under him again and he wrapped his arms around Jack’s shoulders, hugging him close. He turned his head a little to catch Jack’s lips and the kiss was surprisingly sweet considering their current positioning. He spread his legs more and his hips twitched again, their cocks grinding together for the first time, making them both groan. “I’m... fuck me?” Mac asked quietly, words muffled against Jack’s lips. “Please, Jack, I... please.”

Jack felt himself go hot all over, and he made a low sound in the back of his throat and kissed Mac again before he pulled back enough to look him in the eye. “You sure?”

A smile broke out on Mac’s face, and he brought his hands up to frame Jack’s jaw, kissing him slow and thorough. “I’m sure,” he whispered, and then they were rearranging themselves on the bed so it was more comfortable.

Mac twisted toward his nightstand to dig out lube and condoms, and Jack got to see what was on his back. The galaxy tones that ran up his biceps and shoulders bled into his back, framing a large portrait of a phoenix that was similar to the one on the sign outside the tattoo parlor. It was flaming and gorgeous, golden sparks raining off of it into the ashes below, and Jack could only see the texture of scarring underneath it if the angle was right. Mac made a triumphant sound when he found what he was looking for in the drawer, and he moved to lie down on his back again, but Jack grabbed his shoulder to stop him before he even knew what he was doing because he just couldn’t tear his gaze away.

When Jack didn’t say anything, Mac twisted his head to look at Jack over his shoulder. “Jack? What’s... is everything okay?” he asked quietly, his voice unsure and... scared?

That was enough to draw Jack’s attention, and he leaned down to kiss Mac’s cheek. “Everything’s fine, darlin’,” he murmured, the endearment slipping out, but Mac didn’t seem to mind. Lightly, Jack ran his fingers down Mac’s spine from his neck to his ass, then back up again. “I was just admiring the view.”

He felt Mac relax a little and gently eased him to lie down on his stomach. Then Jack grabbed the lube and spread some on his fingers, letting it warm up as he leaned down and pressed his lips to the wing of Mac’s shoulder—which was incidentally where the tip of the phoenix’s wing was. He heard Mac exhale softly and then Jack was trailing his hand lower until one of his fingers pressed against Mac’s hole. He slowly mapped out the phoenix’s wing with his tongue, nipping lightly on Mac’s skin and pushing his finger inside at the same time. Mac gasped under him, fingers digging into the pillow, and Jack started pushing his finger in and out while continuing to explore the phoenix on Mac’s back with his teeth and tongue.

“ _Oh_ , Jack,” Mac said on an exhale, his hips rocking between the friction of the mattress and the pressure of Jack’s finger. He moaned when Jack added a second finger alongside the first, scissoring them apart gently and licking along his back until he reached the phoenix’s other wing.

He was rock hard and aching but ignored it, too lost in pleasuring the gorgeous man he has underneath him. “Fuck, baby, look at you,” Jack murmured against his skin, pushing his fingers deeper until he found Mac’s prostate and Mac let out a strangled shout muffled by the pillow. Jack nudged the spot a few times more, lips pressed against Mac shoulder blade, and by the time he added a third finger Mac was a writhing, moaning mess underneath him. “You’re so gorgeous, baby, so beautiful.”

He ran his tongue up Mac’s spine just like he did his fingers, nipping when he reached the phoenix’s beak, his fingers curling and probing and spreading inside the tight heat of Mac’s body. “Jack, please,” Mac whimpered, his hands clawing at the mattress, hips rocking steadily now as he tried to fuck himself on Jack’s fingers. “Please, please fuck me.”

“Now how could I say no to that, with you asking me so nicely?” Jack whispered, bringing his mouth up to nip at the shell of Mac’s ear. He pulled his fingers out and ripped open a condom, rolling it on himself and adding more lube before he crawled up Mac’s body and plastered them together, front to back. “This okay?” he murmured into Mac’s ear, pressing a soft kiss right below when Mac nodded, whimpering quietly.

Shifting a little, Jack lined himself up and slowly started pushing inside, groaning at how tight and hot Mac was around him. Mac panted and gasped underneath him, and Jack had to concentrate so he didn’t come on the spot. Once he bottomed out, he buried his face in Mac’s shoulder, breathing in deeply and letting Mac get used to the stretch. Jack felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be—like there was a missing puzzle piece in his life that finally clicked back in place.

Mac took in a shuddering breath and laced their fingers together against the mattress. “You feel so good,” he mumbled, muscles clenching around Jack to prove it. “Move, Jack, it’s okay.”

So Jack did, carefully at first, drawing his hips back before pushing them forward in a luxurious thrust that has Mac gasping under him and spreading his legs more to get Jack as deep as he could. After a few more gentle thrusts Jack pushed in a bit harder, groaning at how good Mac felt, and Mac’s fingers tighten around his as he moaned softly. Biting lightly on Mac’s shoulder, Jack set up a steady pace, his thrusts hard and deep, making Mac cry out every time Jack hit his prostate.

“Oh god, Jack, _Jack_ ,” Mac whimpered when one of Jack’s harder thrusts nailed his prostate dead on, and Jack slammed into him at the same angle a few more times, making Mac scream louder with each thrust.

Pressing kisses to Mac’s neck, shoulder and wherever he could reach, Jack pushed his arm between Mac’s chest and the mattress, wrapping it tightly around him and pushing him even closer, his hips moving steadily, driving into Mac without faltering. Mac’s cries grew higher in pitch and volume the longer Jack kept up his brutal pace, and soon he was screaming Jack’s name and coming hard, hips twitching as he came all over the bedspread.

He clenched so hard around Jack he saw stars, and it only took a few more quick thrusts for Jack to come too, pulsing inside of Mac as he filled up the condom. Before his muscles gave out on him completely Jack rolled them to the side so Mac didn’t land in the wet spot, pulling out as gently as he could and staring at the ceiling, breathing hard. Mac wasn’t in much better shape, but he did bring Jack’s hand around to kiss the back of it, his hot gasps for air ghosting over Jack’s skin.

Jack let go of Mac’s hand for a moment to get rid of the condom, noticing his hands were _shaking_ for the first time since... Jack didn’t even remember when. He gathered Mac in his arms and pulled him closer until Mac was pressed against his side with his head pillowed on Jack’s shoulder. “Holy shit,” he said in a very intelligent way, pressing a kiss to Mac’s hair before going back to staring at the ceiling, his chest still heaving.

Mac slung an arm around Jack’s middle and said, “Uh huh.” They laid like that for a minute, until finally they weren’t breathing like they just ran a marathon. Then Mac tilted his head up to press a kiss to Jack’s jaw. “I’m pretty sure that was the best sex I’ve ever had,” he said, nuzzling at Jack’s stubble. “I think you broke me.”

“Oh no, that would be a shame,” Jack chuckled, kissing Mac’s forehead. “Also, you flatter me, darlin’,” he added with a grin and Mac laughed, happy and bright. Slowly, Jack started stroking Mac’s back with one hand, once again mesmerized with Mac’s tattoos. “That Phoenix on your back... it’s gorgeous,” he said quietly, tilting his head a little so that he could take a better look. “I suppose there’s a story here?”

“Well, I’ve always liked mythology,” Mac said, his thumb moving back and forth over Jack’s ribs. “And while I was rehabbing from my injuries I started reading again, and I thought the story of the phoenix was... inspiring. It gets burned alive and rises from its own ashes, and that’s pretty much what happened to me.” He shrugged. “It gave me some hope, back when I didn’t have any. I figured if I was going to get anything on my back to cover my scars, it should be a phoenix.”

Jack hummed in response, his heart swelling with affection. Gently, he rolled them so that Mac was lying on his back, and Jack slid down his body, settling between his spread legs but without any intent behind it. He grabbed Mac’s wrist and pressed a soft kiss to the paperclip tattoo. “What about this one?”

Mac smiled. “When I was a kid, my grandfather taught me how to make things out of everyday objects,” he said. “Stuff that people usually think is junk that they wouldn’t look twice at. Paperclips are really useful little things, you can bend them into all kinds of shapes and because they’re metal they can act as a conductor.” He blinked up at the ceiling. “They’ve saved my life more than once, so that one was a no-brainer too.”

“Love that,” Jack smiled, completely in awe of how... extraordinary Mac was. And for some reason he chose to share all of this with _Jack_ , and while he was sure he didn’t deserve it, he was going to do everything in his power to become worthy. “Let me guess—a bomb because you were an EOD tech?” he murmured into Mac’s skin, pressing his lips to the bomb tattoo.

“Yeah, that one was Desi’s idea,” Mac said, chuckling a little. He seemed perfectly content to let Jack kiss every inch of his body if he wanted to. “She thought I should have a bomb but nothing too serious looking. Hence the cartoony style.” He turned that arm so Jack could get to the pocket watch. “This one is meant to look kind of like a watch my dad gave me before he left. I don’t wear it anymore because I don’t want to get it stand with ink.”

Jack remembered what Desi said about Mac’s father being a liar, but he didn’t bring it up now, not wanting to ruin the perfect mood. He pressed a kiss to the watch before searching for another tattoo, and he picked the bouquet of roses with the snake. “And this?” He kissed the tattoo before resting his chin on Mac’s body and looking up at him.

“I just thought it looked cool,” Mac admitted, a touch sheepish, and Jack laughed because that was... perfect. Everything about him was perfect. He glanced down at Mac’s legs and wondered how the hell he missed all the ink there, although admittedly he was a little preoccupied. He slid lower, running his hands down Mac’s thighs and looking at all the tattoos. Picking one, he leaned down to press a kiss to a pretty flower on the side of his thigh. “And this? Any story about this one?”

Before Mac could answer the doorbell rang, followed by a series of rapid knocks. They stared at each other for a second and then Mac swore. “That’s probably my ex,” he muttered and shuffled around, grabbing his underwear and Jack’s shirt off the floor. His hair was a mess and there was a bruise blooming on his neck in the shape of Jack’s mouth. He threw both pieces of clothing on and headed for the door, Jack yanking on his own underwear and following him. He stepped to one side of the door and presses a finger to his lips in a signal for quiet; Mac rolled his eyes fondly and opened the door. “Murdoc, hey. What’s up?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody! Glad you enjoyed the last chapter! This one has some Murdoc being an ugly human, some more smut (!!!), and some planning for the future of Phoenix Rising. Enjoy!

“Hello, Angus,” a voice sounded from outside, and Jack immediately didn’t like it. It sounded creepy and weird, but Jack also picked up a note of surprise in it. “What an... interesting outfit. It suits you,” the voice continued, dropping lower, and Jack could picture in his head how that Murdoc guy was looking Mac up and down.

Jack saw how tightly Mac gripped the door with his hand and how tense he was. He crossed his arms over his chest, and Jack couldn’t help but think about how good he looked in Jack’s Motörhead shirt, the shoulders just too wide for his thin frame. “I was busy, got dressed in a hurry,” Mac said, terse but trying to be civil. His stance widened a little, and oh, _now_ Jack saw the ex-military thing—Mac had just been so relaxed around him that it wasn’t visible.

“Mhmm, busy with what exactly?” Murdoc asked, and there was an undercurrent to that question that made Jack’s hackles rise. “And before you answer, dear, remember that I know what your sex hair looks like.”

“Then I guess you have the answer to your question,” Mac replied, his voice calm and steady. It was Jack who almost choked but he managed to stay completely quiet, not wanting to make his presence known, not yet. As far as he could see Mac was handling himself just fine, and Jack had to admit, it was hot seeing him like that. “What are you doing here, Murdoc?”

“Well, I _was_ going to propose a possible solution to your rent problem, one that could’ve been... mutually beneficial, but if you’ve already spread your legs for someone else then I doubt you’d be interested.” Murdoc sounded as casual as if he were reading the newspaper, and even though Jack couldn’t see him he could picture the lecherous grin on his face. “I always knew you were a bit of a slut. And soon you’ll be a slut without a tattoo parlor, unless you can unload that dump awfully quick.”

Mac’s eyes narrowed, glaring at Murdoc. “Were you going to suggest I _sleep_ with you in exchange for lower rent?” he asked slowly, anger lacing his voice. “Even if I wasn’t seeing anyone, I would never agree to this, you know that.” In the meantime, Jack’s blood was boiling and he squeezed his hands in tight fists, trying to stop himself from punching the creep’s teeth down his throat. He saw Mac’s stance falter a little at the mention of the house, but he stood his ground even though Jack saw Murdoc take a step closer to him, and he instantly tensed. “Besides,” Mac continued, clearly fighting to keep his cool, “since the guy I’m ‘spreading my legs’ for just moved in with me, I don’t think that would work out.”

And Jack almost barked out a laugh at that since they just met this morning, but he liked Mac and hated Murdoc, so it was no big deal for him to make like he was walking over to the door from the kitchen. He slung an arm around Mac’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Hey, baby,” he muttered, just loud enough for Murdoc to hear, and then turned his attention to the man himself. Jack supposed he was handsome in a tall dark and murderous sort of way, beady black eyes raking up and down Jack’s almost-naked body. “This your landlord? You tell him we’re moving the parlor yet?” Mac’s mouth quirked enough to show one dimple, like he knew he deserved Jack’s improv because he made his own. “I hadn’t gotten that far. Jack, this is Murdoc. Murdoc, this is my boyfriend, Jack.”

Neither Jack nor Murdoc extend a hand to shake, only staring at each other for a few seconds. “Pleasure,” Murdoc eventually said, but the tone of his voice indicated he was anything but pleased. His eyes looked Jack up and down one more time before turning back to Mac. “Moving your little parlor? That’s... interesting,” Murdoc said, his dark eyes completely emotionless. “Angus, I just have to ask, _what_ exactly did you do to make him sleep with you? It’s not like you’re anything special, in bed _especially_ , so I’m very curious to know what he’s getting out of this,” Murdoc sneered, a small smirk on his lips. “My first thought would be money, but you don’t exactly have it, do you, Angus?”

~***~

Jack wasn’t totally clear on what happens next. One minute he was listening to bullshit spewing out of Murdoc’s mouth, and the next thing he knew he was sitting in one of Mac’s kitchen chairs, the front door was closed and locked, and Mac was putting ice on both of Jack’s hands where they were laid out flat on the table. “What happened?” Jack asked, shaking his head a little to try and clear it.

“You broke Murdoc’s nose and then tried to knock his teeth down his throat,” Mac said, which explained why Jack’s knuckles were purple. “He left, but not before he threatened to sue both of us. He won’t try it, he doesn’t have a leg to stand on, not with what he was saying about me.”

Jack closed his eyes, suddenly feeling like the biggest asshole in the world. Not because he hit Murdoc, not at all, but because Mac saw him lose it like that, and he never wanted that to happen. “Mac, I’m so sorry,” he whispered, not looking at Mac and staring at his hands instead. “I’m... I just... I lost control. I’m so sorry.”

Gentle fingered nudge under Jack’s chin, tilting his head back until he had to look at Mac. “You don’t need to apologize, Jack,” he said, smiling a little. He picked up one of Jack’s arms and moved it so he could sit in his lap, then set his hand back on the table with the ice on it. He hooked an arm around Jack’s neck and moved his fingers to his cheek, leaning in to kiss him on the mouth. “Between you and me, I think he kinda had it coming. Besides... I’m not used to having someone stand up for me like that. It was... nice.”

Jack slowly felt himself relax and he gave Mac another short kiss. “Well, I’m always more than happy to stand up for you,” he said with a small smile that faded after a moment. “He seems like... a real asshole by the way. And a creepy one.” Jack made a face and Mac snorted quietly. “How come you ended up dating someone like that?” Jack asked before he realizes he was kind of overstepping. “Sorry, that’s none of my business.”

But Mac shook his head, curling in closer to Jack. “Desi and I only opened Phoenix Rising about a year ago, and I knew him for a while before he asked me out, and back then he acted... different. He was sweet and charming, we went on dates and everything was fine. The closer we got, though, the more I realized how controlling and possessive he was. He wanted me to move in with him—and sell my house, ironically enough—and when I said no, he accused me of cheating on him.” He nuzzled Jack’s jaw and took a deep breath. “When he hit me, I left. Told him we were done. But since he’s my landlord, it’s hard to get away from him.”

Jack tensed in an instant, cold fury spreading through him. “He _hit_ you?” he growled, taking one of his hands from the table to wrap his arm around Mac. There was that need to protect Mac again, much too strong for someone he just met this morning, but Jack didn’t care. “That’s it, the next time I see him I’m gonna kill him,” Jack said darkly. “He won’t even see it comin’.”

“Easy, tiger,” Mac said, and brought his other hand around so he could hold Jack’s face. His thumb ran absently over one of Jack’s cheekbones as he leaned in to kiss him again. “Killing him won’t solve our problem—then I think his ex-wife gets control of the rentals, and believe it or not she’s even crazier than him.” He seemed completely unbothered by Jack’s tight grip around his waist, and also by Jack’s suggestion of murder beyond it being impractical. “That whole conversation did give me one idea for the parlor... but it’s kind of crazy.”

“I’m kinda getting a feeling crazy ideas are sort of your thing,” Jack said with a smile, kissing the corner of Mac’s mouth. He felt the tension slowly drain out of him, and it was incredible how quickly Mac managed to calm him down—Jack could be hard to stop sometimes when he got angry, but all it took was a few touches and kisses from Mac. “Tell me, baby—how can I help?”

“Well, my grandfather used to run a small engine repair place out of the garage,” Mac started, his hands moving around to massage the last of the anger from Jack shoulders. His fingers were strong from so much tattooing. “The house is still zoned for partial business use, and there’s amped electrical service out there... I guess what I’m saying is, maybe we could build a tattoo parlor here? I’d have to talk to Desi and Leanna, obviously, and it would be a lot of work.” His eyes went distant for a moment. “I’d probably need to mortgage the house for the money, but... what do you think? Could we do it?”

Jack’s heart fluttered happily because Mac easily included him in a future project like that, no doubt in his voice that Jack would be right there with him. “I think it’s a great idea.” Jack grinned, looking up into those gorgeous eyes. “You wouldn’t have to get up early to get to work, and you could chill at your own home between the clients...” Jack chuckled a little when Mac lightly punched his arm. “Yes, and the rent or your creepy ex wouldn’t be an issue anymore, that’s important too. And to answer your other question...” Jack trailed off, leaning up to kiss Mac’s jaw. “We can do it. I kinda feel anything is possible with you, so I’m all in if... if you want me to be.”

Mac slumped in Jack’s grip, a relieved expression on his face. “Oh thank God,” he muttered, and Jack had to laugh at that. “What? Do you have any idea how afraid I was that I was overstepping by like six miles?” The incredulousness in Mac’s tone only made Jack laugh harder, and Mac punched him in the arm again. “But yes, I want you to be all in... and I’d like to get the girls over here to talk about it. You could meet Bozer, and then we could figure out what we need to fix up the garage and how much it’ll cost.” A sudden nervousness flitted over Mac’s face. “And you could, um... spend the night here, if you want?”

Jack grinned again because Mac was just too damn adorable. Also, the idea of staying over was making him ridiculously happy. Not just because he wanted to get Mac into bed again, but also because it felt... right. Like everything he’d done with Mac so far, all of it just felt _right_. “I’d love to,” Jack said and kissed Mac again, lingering for a few seconds this time before pulling back. “Although I should probably text Riley so that she doesn’t worry when I don’t get back home,” Jack added, and then groaned theatrically. “She’s never gonna let me live this down.”

“I don’t want to alarm you, but from the way Desi was looking at Riley? She might not have made it home either,” Mac said, grinning when Jack groaned again. He kissed Jack on the cheek before he hopped up, going back in the bedroom and retrieving both of their phones. “Here, let’s see if I’m right.” He sat down in Jack’s lap again and called Desi, hitting the button for speakerphone before she answered. “Hey, Dez, you still at the shop?”

“Uh, no,” Desi replied after a conspicuous delay, and there was some shuffling noises in the background as she cleared her throat. “I, um, my afternoon appointment canceled too, so we closed for the day when Leanna went to get Bozer from UCLA.”

“Uh huh,” Mac said, smiling a little. “And what happened to Riley?”

A long pause, then a grumbled response from Desi: “She’s with me.”

And then Riley spoke, clear as a bell: “Well don’t sound so excited about it.”

Mac laughed loudly and Jack couldn’t help but chuckle as well, pressing his face into Mac’s neck.

“Oh yeah, what about you, boy wonder?” Desi asked, and Jack heard a smirk in her voice. “Because correct me if I’m wrong, but that muffled noise sounded just like Dalton.”

“It is,” Mac replied cheekily, a huge smile on his face now, and Jack couldn’t get over how pretty he was. “So if you could pass on a message to Riley that Jack won’t be coming home for the night, that would be awesome.”

“Yeah, I can do that,” Desi said, sighing as she flopped back into her mattress judging from the sounds. “So why’d you call? I doubt it was to check in on my sex life.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Mac agreed, and he told her about Murdoc’s visit and his resulting idea.

She put him on speaker about halfway through, and by the time Mac was done talking, Desi whistled her approval. “Damn, Mac, that’s a good idea. We should’ve gotten you laid sooner. You want me to rally the troops and come to your place?” She paused, evidently to check the time, and then added, “Maybe with pizza?”

Mac turned his head to glance at Jack, and Jack nodded before pressing a soft kiss to Mac’s neck. “Sure, that sounds great,” Mac said, shivering a little against Jack, and Jack suddenly got an idea. He kissed Mac’s neck again, lightly nipping his skin, and then moved to lazily mouth at Mac’s jaw. Mac’s breath hitched slightly, tightening his arm around Jack’s neck, and Jack couldn’t help but smile. “Riley, you’re... you’re welcome to stop b-by as well.”

“Oh God, Jack, knock it off!” Riley exclaimed, sounding exactly like a little kid who didn’t want to hear her parents having sex.

“Don’t be gross or we won’t bring beer,” Desi threatened, and then she hung up.

Mac tossed his phone on the table and turned his full attention to Jack, who looked at him with a shit-eating grin on his face. “You’re awful,” Mac declared, but he smiled when he said it and he leaned in to kiss Jack’s lips. “Wanna shower before everybody shows up? Desi has a key, she can get in whenever.”

“That could be a blessing and a curse,” Jack muttered, imagining Desi showing up at a... less than ideal moment, and Mac just laughed again. “But sure, shower sounds great.”

Mac kissed him again before sliding off his lap and grabbing his hand, tugging him in the direction of his bathroom. Jack had a few ideas about what they could do in there, but they probably didn’t have time. He wasn’t too upset about that, any chance to spend time with Mac was amazing, besides... Jack kind of hoped there would be time for some... fun activities later, when everybody went home. He shook his head at himself a little, because he sounded like a horny teenager, but he just... couldn’t help it.

The bathroom was spacious but old, and not in a charming way, so Jack knew why Mac wanted to remodel it before trying to sell the house. But if he was going to be staying here then it wasn’t a big deal, and Jack didn’t give it another thought because Mac was turning on the shower and pulling his clothes off and that was... distracting as hell. Jack shucked his underwear and they climbed in the shower together, the space almost immediately filling with steam. As soon as they were inside the cubicle Mac pulled him in for a kiss, nipping Jack’s lower and smiling against his mouth.

“Mhmm, what’s so funny, baby?” Jack murmured against that smile, happily kissing Mac back. He wrapped his arms around Mac’s waist and after stroking his back for a moment, he slid one of his hands to Mac’s ass, squeezing his ass cheek before his fingers slipped into Mac’s ass crack. He wasn’t even doing that to start anything, it just seemed that he lost control over what his body does when Mac was that close to him, kissing him like _that_.

“I was just thinking about how we wouldn’t have time to do anything fun in here,” Mac said after he broke the kiss to ghost his lips over Jack’s cheek, nipping at his jaw. “But then I saw the look on your face when I got naked and realized I don’t give a damn about when the others get here.” He moved lower, to Jack’s neck, biting lightly at his pulse point before sucking a bruise into Jack’s skin... and Jack slipped a finger inside Mac where he was still loose and wet with lube from earlier.

Mac gasped loudly against Jack’s skin, his hands moving to grip Jack’s shoulders. “Jack,” he groaned softly, tugging until he was pressed between Jack and the wall, and Jack moaned when Mac bit him a little harder. In response he started moving his finger in and out, slowly, and Mac whimpered, one arm circling Jack’s neck while he slid the other one around his waist, nipping on his collarbone. “God, _Jack_.”

Jack plastered himself to Mac’s front as the water sluiced over them, and he let Mac do whatever the hell he wanted with his teeth and tongue, sucking and biting at Jack’s collarbone before he brought his head up to kiss him again. Jack continued to push his finger in and out of Mac’s hole, adding a second one and crooking them deeper. He felt Mac getting hard and Jack couldn’t help but thrust against him, seeking friction and moaning against Mac’s lips when he found it. He drove his fingers in harder, and he found Mac’s prostate and just... stopped moving, kept steady pressure on that little bundle of nerves just to see what would happen.

Mac groaned loudly into Jack’s mouth, and when Jack didn’t remove his fingers he started scrabbling at his shoulders, leaving marks with his nails. He let out a high pitched whine and threw his head back, hitting the wall with a soft thud, eyes wide and lips parted, and Jack was helpless to do anything else but stare at him, completely mesmerized. “Jack, Jack, oh _god_ ,” Mac whimpered when Jack pressed his fingers in a bit harder, and Mac’s hips twitched, pushing against Jack’s fingers.

“Too much?” Jack remembered to ask belatedly, but Mac shook his head vigorously and the way he pulled at Jack’s shoulders suggested if Jack stopped he would lose some skin. “Okay, okay, I’ve got you.” He slipped a third finger inside and fucked them against that spot, his other hand running down Mac’s chest and abs before he used it to grasp his cock. Mac whined in the back of his throat, rocking back and forth between sensations as Jack started stroking him. He kept a constant light pressure on his prostate and every once in a while pushed down harder... you know, for science or something...

“Jack, Jack, Jack,” Mac almost sobbed, wrapping his arms tightly around Jack’s neck and clinging to him. “Please, I’m... oh god yes, _Jack_.”

Mac whimpered when Jack pushed his fingers as deep as he could, stroking him faster and nipping on Mac’s neck, sucking another bruise next to the one he left earlier. When Mac came it was with a long, drawn-out moan right in Jack’s ear, his whole body freezing completely before he shuddered and let go. He went boneless in Jack’s grip, his muscles clenching around Jack’s fingers and his cock twitching in Jack’s hand, spilling over his fingers. For a moment they just stood there—or rather Jack did, holding Mac up against the wall—while Mac caught his breath, and then he pressed their lips together in a surprisingly soft kiss... before he sank to his knees in front of Jack.

“Oh fuck, Mac,” Jack breathed out, looking down at Mac who blinked up at him, his eyes incredibly blue.

Mac gave him a small grin before he wrapped his fingers around the base of his cock and took the head into his mouth, sucking a little. Jack let out a deep groan, resting his hands on the wall behind Mac’s back to hold himself up. He glanced down again when Mac patted his hip and then he almost lost it when Mac fucking _winked_ at him before removing his hand and taking all of Jack’s cock in. Jack made a broken sound that morphed into a moan when Mac swallowed around him, throat muscles fluttering around his cock. He dropped one of his hands from the wall to rake his fingers through Mac’s wet hair, not trying to pressure him, just feeling. But then Mac made a tiny whining sound and pressed into that touch, so Jack tangled his fingers in his hair and pulled a little. That seemed to spur Mac on, because he started bobbing his head up and down, the head of Jack’s cock hitting the back of his throat on every slide down.

“Mac, baby, oh _fuck_ ,” Jack swore, his fingers involuntarily tightening in Mac’s hair and his hips twitching. In response Mac hummed around his cock, patting his Jack’s hip again, and gently, Jack thrusted forward. He did it a few more times, tentatively, and the way Mac moaned must’ve meant that was what he wanted, right? Not wanting to hurt him, Jack rolled his hips forward again, setting a gentle pace, but with the way Mac kept humming and swallowing around his cock, it was getting harder to hold back. He felt his orgasm building low in his belly with each thrust into Mac’s warm, willing throat, and the last thing Jack wanted to do was surprise him. “Darlin’, I’m so close, I’m gonna—” Jack started, his voice breaking, but that was okay because Mac understood him... and gripped Jack’s hip to keep him from pulling away.

That combined with a few more thrusts—the last of which was a little rougher than Jack intended—was all it took for Jack to lose it. He came so hard his knees shook, and he had to lock up the arm he had got braced against the wall so he didn’t fall on Mac and kill them both. Mac swallowed everything Jack had to give and worked him through the aftershocks with his tongue, then slowly rose to his feet, holding Jack’s weight when he practically collapses against him. Mac’s warm chuckle sounded in his ear as Mac wrapped his arms around Jack’s waist, hugging him and holding him up. Jack buried his face in Mac’s neck, panting and trying to catch his breath, and after a moment he felt Mac’s lips press against his temple.

“You alright?” Mac asked quietly, amusement clear in his voice.

“I may be dead soon if you keep that up,” Jack admitted, and smiled when Mac laughed and squeezed him tight. He lifted his head a little and pressed his lips against Mac’s cheek before he nuzzled his nose against his skin. “You’re incredible,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around Mac in return, hands stroking over the phoenix when they pass it. “And I don’t know what the hell I did to catch your attention, but I’m damn glad I did.”

“Are you kidding me?” Mac asked, and Jack felt him smile against his skin. “I should be asking you that. When I first saw you in the morning I immediately thought you were gorgeous... and way out of my league.” Even though Jack couldn’t see Mac’s face he knew he was blushing. He genuinely didn’t seem to realize how amazing and stunning he was, Jack noticed it before, and right then he swore he would do everything he could to show Mac how special he was. “Didn’t expect you to even look twice at me.”

“Funny, I thought the same thing about you,” Jack mused as he pulled Mac forward, turning off the water so they can get out of the shower. Mac grabbed towels and handed one to Jack, rubbing the one he kept over his hair first, and when he was done Jack was right there to kiss him on the mouth, slow and sweet. “Figured someone as stunning as you, with that smile and all those tattoos, wouldn’t have any interest in an old man like me.”

“You’re not old,” Mac said with a wide smile, blushing even harder and pulling Jack closer by tugging on his towel. He gave him another short, soft kiss before kissing Jack’s cheek. “You may be a bit older than me, but it doesn’t matter,” Mac murmured against his skin, nuzzling his cheek and wrapping his arms around his neck. Jack wrapped his arms around his waist, but before he could reply a loud banging on the bathroom doom startled them both.

“You two!” Desi’s voice sounded from Mac’s bedroom. “We have pizza and beer, so after you’re done, join us on the deck.”

Mac made a face. “I’ve learned it’s best not to keep her waiting too long,” he said grimly, and Jack was going to need to hear _that_ story at some point. They finished drying off and Mac gave Jack some sweatpants and a t-shirt to wear, and once they were both dressed they headed to the deck. Desi, Riley, and Leanna were there, along with a guy who was about Mac’s age... and his face, hair, and goatee were all covered in sparkly neon green face paint. Mac snorted a laugh when he saw him but bent down to give him a friendly hug anyway. “Hey, Bozer. What, um, what happened?”

“Oh laugh it up, I know how dumb I look,” Bozer grumbled, but he was smiling a little. He saw Jack and squints, and it took Jack a second to realize he was trying to look tough. “So who’s your new friend?”

“Boze, this is Jack,” Mac said with a smile. “He’s—”

“Definitely not Mac’s _friend_ ,” Desi interjected with a sly grin on her face.

Jack chuckled at that while Mac blushed, looking way too adorable, and Bozer was staring at the two of them with wide eyes. “Wait a second, you’re... hang on, when did you two meet?” he asked, and oh, it looked like the girls decided to spare them the details of their first meeting.

Mac mumbled something, and when Bozer made an indignant sound and cupped his ear, he said louder, “This morning! We met this morning!”

“Oh my God, Mac! Seriously? Are you that thirsty?” Bozer exclaimed.

Mac turned even redder and pointed at Desi and Riley. “That’s when they met too! And if anybody’s thirsty it’s Desi, she hasn’t dated anyone since we left DXS!”

“Hey, don’t drag me into this,” Desi said, but it came out more like mush since her mouth was full of pizza.

Jack, meanwhile, was laughing his ass off along with Leanna and Riley, because this was pretty much comedic gold. Once he calmed down a little and felt like he could breathe, Jack caught Riley’s gaze. She was grinning at him, eyes shining with happiness, and it was kind of ridiculous that a simple visit to a tattoo parlor had gotten them both laid—although Jack was trying not to think about his kid having sex, thank you very much. But more than that, the visit to the parlor also got them... well, Jack didn’t know what Desi and Riley were, and he also didn’t know what he and Mac were... but he wasn’t going to lie, he liked being called Mac’s boyfriend, even if Mac was just trying to get rid of Murdoc.

They settled in around the fire, and Mac started talking in more detail about what he had in mind for the garage. Everyone was nodding along, and it was Riley who tilted her beer in his direction and said, “You know, if we all chipped in a little, you probably wouldn’t have to take out that mortgage against your house.”

Jack had been thinking that too, but he didn’t want to be the one to bring it up—Mac was clearly an independent person, and the last thing he wanted to do was make things awkward by bringing money into their very new relationship.

“That’s a great idea,” Leanna said, her eyes lighting up. “Then we’d all be like shareholders.”

“It... could work,” Mac admitted, glancing at Jack and smiling a little when Jack slid an arm around his shoulders. “But I don’t want to pressure you guys into anything.”

“You’re not pressuring us, we’re offering,” Riley said with a grin, and Jack nodded along. He was aware how insane that looked, in fact, he knew that everyone he knows would tell him he was crazy—but it felt right, like it was meant to be, and obviously Riley felt the same way.

Bozer decided to be the voice of reason. “I don’t get it, guys, why are you doing this, helping us?” he asked, looking between Riley and Jack, his eyes narrowed. “Like, you barely know us, you just met us today, so... why?”

Jack wasn’t surprised by his skepticism he knew this was unusual. “I don’t have a good answer for that besides that it feels like the right thing to do. I know that sounds hokey as hell and if I heard it from you I’d be suspicious too, but it’s the truth. I can’t speak for Riley... but it seems like we all should’ve been friends a long time before today.”

“I agree,” Desi said, surprising everyone. She raised her beer bottle for a toast, and everybody clinked—even Bozer, after a moment’s hesitation and an elbow from Leanna. “Let’s build a tattoo parlor.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! As usual, thanks for all the love on the previous chapter, it means the world to both of us!!! <3 This one has some more smut, a tragedy, and Murdoc getting his just desserts... via blackmail, because the fucker deserves it. Enjoy!

As he looked at Jack giving Riley a goodbye kiss on her cheek, Mac thought that he didn’t remember feeling that happy in a very long time. He knows this was bizarre and it should have made any sense, but it didn’t matter than he met Jack earlier that day—he already couldn’t imagine his life without him. It scared him a little if he was being honest, because getting attached to people hadn’t worked out too well for him in most cases. Usually everyone he loved left him, with only a few exceptions.

Mac couldn’t help but smile when he saw Desi link her fingers with Riley’s on their way out, and he chuckled when Bozer reluctantly fist bumped Jack. He’d eventually warmed up to him and Riley during the evening, but it was endearing to see him try and protect Mac from getting hurt. Jack shut and locked the door after they left, and when he turned to look at Mac he saw the happiness he felt reflected in Jack’s expression. He was nervous about the tattoo parlor but relieved that he didn’t have to sell his house... although he had a feeling Murdoc wasn’t done making trouble for them.

“You know, when I called you my boyfriend earlier I was trying to discourage Murdoc,” Mac started, taking a few steps closer until he could wrap his arms around Jack’s neck. He smiled when he felt Jack link his fingers at the small of Mac’s back, those brown eyes watching him intently. “But I was thinking... maybe we could make it official? Because I don’t know about you, but I’ve got no desire to date anyone else.”

Jack gave him a small grin, and Mac realized that there was relief written all over his face. “Neither do I,” Jack murmured, leaning in and kissing the corner of Mac’s mouth. “I have to admit, the word ‘boyfriend’ has a nice ring to it,” Jack added, the smile on his face getting wider, and Mac had to pull him in for a short, sweet kiss.

When they broke apart, Mac backed off a half a step and grabbed Jack’s hand, pulling him in the direction of his room. There wasn’t a ton of heat behind it like the first time, but Mac wanted Jack just as much if not more. He figured he should probably at least feign politeness, so after he yanked the dirty bedspread off and tossed it on the floor he flopped backward on the mattress, looking up at Jack with a wide smile. “Ready for round three?”

Jack stood completely still, looking at him with wide eyes for a second before he pounced on Mac, landing on top of him and immediately crashing their lips together. “You’re gonna be the death of me,” he mumbled, and Mac could only laugh, the sound quickly morphing into a moan when Jack slid his tongue into his mouth.

Figuring there was no point hiding how much he wanted Jack, Mac slid his hands down Jack’s back and without wasting any time he tugged the hem of his shirt, whining a little and trying to get Jack to take it off. Jack chuckled against his lips but obliged him, leaning back enough to take off his own shirt before pulling at Mac’s too. Almost immediately Jack was mouthing at his jaw before moving lower, sucking and biting at whatever skin he could reach. Mac exhaled shakily and reaches for Jack’s waistband, pushing his sweatpants down until Jack could kick them off and Jack’s yanked down Mac’s pants too, and finally, blissfully, they were naked again.

Mac hooked his leg over Jack’s hip to bring him closer and he thrust up, grinding them together. Jack groaned into his mouth and rolled his hips down, and Mac wrapped his other leg around Jack as well, and soon they were grinding together rhythmically, and while it felt amazing Mac needed more. Jack apparently had a similar thought because after sucking a bruise into Mac’s shoulder he pulled back a little to look down at Mac, his eyes black with lust.

“What do you want, baby?” Jack murmured, leaning down to mouth at Mac’s jaw.

“You inside me again,” Mac said, and he laughed when Jack pinches his ass, his hips stilling temporarily so he can grab the lube and condoms.

Then he was back, grinning down at Mac before he dove in to kiss him again, their tongues sliding together messily as Jack spread lube on his fingers. Mac gasped when a finger circled his entrance before pushing inside, his hips twitching up against Jack’s. Jack pushed his finger in and out a few times before adding a second one, and Mac arched against him, arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

“Oh god,” he groaned when Jack scissored his fingers and pushed them even deeper, and Mac cried out when they brushed against his prostate. “Jack, Jack, please,” Mac panted, his hips twitching as he tried to fuck himself on Jack’s fingers that were now moving in and out of him at a steady pace, driving him absolutely insane.

“Mhmm, please what?” Jack asked, his voice a low rumble against Mac’s throat. He slipped in a third finger alongside the first two and groaned a little. “God, baby, you’re so warm and tight, you feel amazing.” He nuzzled at Mac’s pulse before scraping at it with his teeth, twisting his fingers to tap Mac’s prostate, one, two, three times. “You have to tell me what you want, and I’ll give it to you.”

“More,” Mac gasped, forcing himself to concentrate enough to use words. Jack fingers felt so good inside him, pushing deeper and teasing. “You... fuck me, Jack. Please, I... I need you to fuck me,” Mac said, whimpering the last part because Jack pressed his fingers against his prostate _again_ , keeping them there and apparently trying to make Mac lose his mind. “J-Jack.”

Jack licked his way into Mac’s mouth, biting at his lower lip before he pulled his fingers out, kissing Mac’s cheek when he whined at the loss. Then he was opening a condom and rolling it on, slicking himself up with lube before hovering over Mac again with the head of his cock pressed against his hole. He started pushing in slowly and Mac clawed at his shoulders, a long, continuous moan leaving his lips.

Jack buried his face in Mac’s neck and he felt his hot breath against his skin. “You feel so good, oh god,” Jack groaned, stilling once he bottomed out.

Mac’s clung to Jack, trying to catch his breath and focusing on not coming right away. Jack’s cock felt so good and thick inside him, stretching him in the best way, and once he felt like he wasn’t going to lose it right away he framed Jack’s face with his hands and pulled him into a hard kiss. “Move, please.” He did, pulling his hips back and thrusting forward, not too hard but not slowly either. The rhythm he set up was perfect, just enough to leave Mac gasping for more but bringing him closer to the edge with each punch to his prostate. “Oh, _Jack_ ,” Mac moaned, crying out when Jack started moving faster, each slam of his hips getting just a little rougher, like he was losing control of himself. Mac didn’t mind in the slightest, in fact, he fucking loved it.

“Fuck, baby,” Jack moaned against his skin, thrusting even harder and faster.

He slid his arms under Mac’s back and hugged him close, stopping him from moving up the bed with each rough slam of his hips. Breathless gasps got punched out of him as Jack kept pounding into him relentlessly, not slowing down for even a moment. Mac’s orgasm hit him like a train, or a hammer to the back of the head. He shouted Jack’s name as it barreled through him, white spots dancing in his vision as come painted his stomach.

Jack’s thrusts slowed down and he moved like he was going to pull out, but Mac’s hands squeezing his shoulders stopped him in his tracks. “Don’t. Keep going.” He swallowed hard, aftershocks still shaking through his body. “I want you to.”

Jack’s eyes widened a little and then his dove to crash their lips together, knocking any remaining air out of Mac’s lungs. His thrusts sped up again and soon he was pounding into him again, groaning and panting against Mac’s skin. It felt... almost like too much, but also too good for Mac to stop it, so he just let Jack fuck him fast and hard, moaning softly, his body growing pliant in Jack’s grip. Jack’s movements got progressively more erratic, and he was holding Mac maybe too tightly, but Mac had never felt safer than he did right now. When Jack finally came he was almost sobbing, his face buried in Mac’s neck as his hips continued to pump forward before slowing to a steady grind, and then Jack went still. His grip loosened a little and Mac could breathe easier, bringing up his arms to loop around Jack’s middle.

He ran his hand up and down his spine as Jack fought for breath. “You good?”

Jack kept panting against his skin but he let out a small chuckle. “Am I good—Mac, I’m fucking amazing,” he said, sounding completely wrecked and Mac couldn’t help but smile. He turned his head a little and pressed a soft kiss to Jack’s temple. After a moment, Jack lifted his head to look down at Mac, his dark beautiful eyes full of so much affection that suddenly Mac couldn’t breathe again. “Are you okay?” he asked softly. “It wasn’t... too much?”

Mac’s smile widened and he touched Jack’s cheek, fascinated by the way his eyes crinkle at the corners when he was really happy... like now. “It was perfect. You’re perfect.” That second part came out without Mac’s permission, but Jack only nuzzled the inside of his wrist. He pulled out carefully and got rid of the condom, and Mac grabbed his discarded underwear from earlier and cleaned himself off before tossing their laundry in with his other dirty clothes—he did it without thinking, like Jack lived with him and wouldn’t mind. Then he went in the closet and pulled out a clean bedspread, unfolding it and tossing it on the bed. He was walking around naked, all his tattoos on display, but didn’t think much of it until he caught Jack staring at him from where he was sitting on the edge of the mattress. “What? Is something wrong?”

Jack’s eyes snapped up to his face. “Oh no, not at all,” he said with a grin before he ran his eyes up and down Mac’s body. “Just admiring a gorgeous masterpiece, that’s all.” His words caught Mac off guard and he ducked his head, feeling himself blush. The thing was Mac had never considered himself anything special, definitely not that attractive, but the way Jack said it, so... full of conviction, it almost made Mac believe him. “C’mere,” Jack said, reaching out a hand to grasp Mac’s wrist gently. He tugged him closer, until Mac sat down in Jack’s lap. Strong arms wrapped around him, and Jack pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I know you don’t believe me, but you are absolutely stunning. When I saw you come out of that back room at the parlor I just about fell over.” His hands slid up over Mac’s shoulders, then down his arms before they landed on his hips. “And I’m gonna keep telling you how gorgeous you are, until you get the message or you tell me to fuck off, one or the other.”

“I won’t tell you to fuck off,” Mac said quietly, blinking when his vision suddenly started blurring. He wrapped his arms around Jack’s neck, hiding his face from him—he didn’t want Jack to think he was crazy for tearing up because of something stupid like this. But he’d never met anyone like Jack before, and a part of him still couldn’t believe this was real. It wasn’t like him to open up to someone so quickly, to let his guard down—but he let Jack in, and it felt like the most natural thing in the world. It couldn’t be love, not after just a few hours, but... it sure felt like it and the thought of Jack leaving made Mac’s chest tighten painfully.

“Good, because at this point I’m pretty sure that would break my damn heart,” Jack said, smoothing one hand up Mac’s spine to cup the back of his neck. The other one moved to rest on Mac’s thigh, fingers skittering restlessly against his skin. “I... really care about you, Mac. And I know it’s only been a few hours, but I can’t imagine you not being in my life.”

Mac’s heart beat faster at that, because it was one thing for him to feel this way, but Jack actually feeling the same? He leaned back a little and framed Jack’s face with his hands, rubbing the skin under his eye with his thumb before pulling him in a soft kiss. “I care about you too, Jack. A lot,” he muttered against his lips. “And I... I don’t _want_ to imagine you not being here.”

Jack kissed him back and smiled when Mac stifled a yawn. “Did I wear you out?” he asked, amusement in his voice—but unlike with Murdoc, it wasn’t at Mac’s expense.

“Maybe a little,” Mac admitted, smiling sheepishly, and he laughed when Jack fell back on the mattress and took Mac with him, lips brushing along Mac’s cheek and jaw. “And maybe brushing our teeth might be good? Unless you wanna go again already?”

Jack snorted. “Oh no, I don’t think I could even I wanted to.”

Mac laughed again, pecking Jack’s lips before sitting up. “Come on, I’ll even get you a brand new toothbrush.”

Once Jack sat up Mac grabbed his hand and tugged him to the bathroom. They were both completely naked and Mac didn’t remember the last time he was that comfortable around anyone—he sure as hell wasn’t with Murdoc, because even when things were still going well, there was something stopping Mac from completely letting his guard down. Once their teeth were brushed they went back to the bedroom and crawled under the covers, and they laid on their sides facing each other. Mac leaned in and kissed Jack on the mouth, and the next thing he knew he was being rearranged. Jack rolled on to his back and tugged Mac with him so his head was pillowed on Jack’s shoulder, and Jack wrapped his arms around him and laced his fingers together against Mac’s hip.

And Mac just... melted, wrapping an arm around Jack’s middle and pressing a kiss to his collarbone. “I’m so glad you’re a cuddler,” he mumbled, cheeks going pink again. He didn’t always like touching people, but he felt warm and secure with Jack.

Jack chuckled, a low sound vibrating out of his chest. “Been a while since I enjoyed cuddling that much,” he said softly, and Mac felt him kiss his hair. They lay in silence for a moment before Jack chuckled again. “You know, I think I should give Riley some kind of a thank you basket for choosing you to tattoo her. And for asking me to come with her.”

“Mhmm, maybe her next tattoo will be free,” Mac said, sighing contentedly. He never felt like this when he was with Murdoc—after they had sex, Murdoc was either out of Mac’s bed or finding an excuse to nudge Mac out of his. And it never felt the way it does with Jack, electric and passionate without being overbearing. He yawned again and snuggled deeper into Jack’s embrace, if that was even possible. He wanted to say “I love you”, he felt it on the tip of his tongue, but it was just too soon. “You’re pretty cool,” he muttered instead, and the last thing he heard before he drifted off was Jack’s laughter.

~***~

When Mac slowly woke up in the morning, he was still wrapped in Jack’s arms. He felt warm and comfortable and he kind of never wanted to move. He blinked his eyes open and shifted a little, looking up at Jack. He was still asleep, his breathing slow and even, and he looked... so relaxed, as if he was completely at ease. Mac wasn’t an idiot and he knew that with Jack’s job he probably didn’t trust easily or let himself relax just everywhere. The fact that he felt safe enough to sleep deeply in Mac’s bed made his heart flutter.

As if he sensed Mac watching him, Jack stirred a little and opened his eyes. “Mornin’, sunshine,” he murmured, leaning in to kiss Mac’s forehead.

Mac couldn’t help the wide smile that spread on his face. “Good morning,” he said softly, and wriggled upward until he could kiss Jack on the lips. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his phone’s screen light up, go dark, and light up again with incoming text messages. He had it on silent all night, and suddenly wondered if he forgot an appointment. “Oh crap,” he said, and reached across Jack to grab the phone so it rang in his hand—Desi was calling, so he answered right away: “Hey, Dez, did I forget a client? I’m so—”

“No, you didn’t.” She cut him off and her tone was grave. “Mac, we’ve got a huge problem. Somebody broke into the shop last night.”

“Wait, what?” Mac sat up straight, his heart pounding but not in a good way. Jack also sat up and he was frowning, placing his hand on Mac’s shoulder. He had a bad feeling about this and his gut was telling him this was no coincidence. “I’m... I’ll be there soon, Dez, I’m leaving now,” he said and jumped out of the bed, Jack following him with wide eyes. “Just...” Mac took a deep breath. “How... how bad is it?”

Desi was silent for so long that all Mac heard was the roaring in his ears, and when she spoke again, she sounded heartbroken: “It’s really bad.”

She hung up and Mac stared down at his phone for a moment before the screen went black.

“Mac, hey, what’s going on?” Jack asked from near his side, a hand resting on his back.

Mac tossed his phone on the bed and ran shaking fingers through his hair. “We got broken into last night at the parlor. Desi’s there already, and she—” His voice cracked, and he stared at his dresser, tears welling in his eyes. “Murdoc did this, I know it. He couldn’t get me one way so he’s trying another.”

“Hey, hey.” Jack was suddenly in front of him, rubbing the tears away that Mac didn’t even notice started running down his cheeks. “We’ll figure it out, I promise. His voice was quiet and serious, but soothing at the same time, and Mac forced himself to take a shaky breath. “And we’ll deal with that son of a bitch, and by that I mean that I’m gonna make him regret the day he was born.”

Hands still shaking, Mac reached to pull Jack closer, and wrapped his arms around his neck, hiding his face in Jack’s shoulder. Jack held him and Mac felt him drop a kiss on top of his head before resting his cheek against Mac’s hair. “I wish I understood why he’s doing this,” Mac whispered, swallowing against his suddenly tight throat. “He wasn’t any happier with me than I was with him. What was I supposed to do, just... just tolerate it when he punched me?” He tried to blink away the rest of his tears. “And it’s not like I can tell the police he’s the one who did it—it’s his building, they’d never believe that. And I’m sure he paid somebody else to do the dirty work anyway.”

“In his opinion, you probably were,” Jack said quietly. “You were supposed to tolerate all of his bullshit and sacrifice your happiness for him. He wanted a loyal pet, not a partner.” Jack’s hand was slowly stroking Mac’s back, and Mac just wished he could go back to last night when everything was perfect. “And don’t worry about the police, I’ll take care of that.”

Mac leaned back enough to look Jack in the eye and what he saw there would scare him if it were anyone else. Jack was _angry_ , but not like he was when he started hitting Murdoc and blacked out—no, this was a quiet rage, simmering away. But Mac touched his cheek and it disappeared, or at least faded into the background, replaced by affection.

“I don’t care if it’s too soon,” Mac said, his voice cracking again, his eyes still burning from crying. “I love you, Jack.”

The look in Jack’s eyes turned vulnerable and he leaned into Mac’s touch, turning his head to kiss his palm. “I love you too,” he whispered, and even though Mac’s devastated about the parlor, in that short moment he felt a little lighter. “I love you, Mac, and I swear to you, I will keep you safe from him. And he’s gonna pay.”

~***~

As soon as they got to Phoenix Rising, Jack’s heart sank. There were a couple of police cars outside and some of the neighbors were giving statements to the cops, but he was looking at the shattered windows in the front, all of the art and neon signs destroyed. He followed Mac to the door, glass crunching under their boots, and Jack swore when he saw inside. Everything was burned haphazardly, like somebody spilled gasoline and then threw a match on it. The chairs were broken into pieces and there was tattoo ink splashed all over the walls.

Desi and Riley were nowhere to be seen, but then Jack spotted them sitting on a bench outside and gently tugged Mac in that direction. Mac went easily, mostly because he was... kind of frozen. He kept staring at the parlor with a blank look on his face and it scared Jack a little, but he pushed through it. When they reached Desi and Riley his heart broke all over again. Desi stared at the ground, looking completely devastated, tears in her eyes, and Jack had never seen her like that. She was always this tough, strong person that didn’t tolerate anyone’s bullshit, and now she was just... broken. Riley clutched her hand tightly, looking heartbroken as well.

“Dez, I’m so sorry,” Jack said quietly, wrapping his arm around Mac who was still pretty much non-responsive.

Desi took in a harsh breath and wiped at her eyes with the back of her free hand, then stood up and brought Riley with her. Jack hugged them both, pulling Mac in for the embrace too, and he felt Mac trembling against his side—whether from sadness or anger or both, he wasn’t sure. Leanna and Bozer arrived and they both started crying too when they saw the state the parlor was in. And conveniently, even though he was the property owner, Murdoc was nowhere to be seen. Which was probably a good thing, because even with CIA creds Jack couldn’t get away with killing the guy in front of a bunch of cops.

He let go of Desi and Riley after a moment and gathered Mac in his arms. He was shaking violently and he clings to Jack like he was afraid he was going to disappear. He pressed his face to Jack’s neck, hiding from the world, so Jack just held him, one of his hands going to the back of his neck, and he rubbed slow circles into Mac’s skin with his thumb. Jack didn’t tell Mac it would be okay because he was sure Mac didn’t want to hear it. Nothing was okay and it wouldn’t be for a while, so all Jack could do was hold Mac and kiss his hair... and think about how exactly he would make Murdoc pay.

Eventually a pair of cops came over and Mac reluctantly pulled away from Jack and schooled his features into something neutral. The officers informed them that forensics had already been through the parlor—apparently a neighbor called in about the broken windows when they arrived to open their laundromat—so they were free to go inside and take pictures for the insurance company and salvage whatever they could. Then the cruisers were gone and so were the rubberneckers, and as a group they shuffled into the parlor. Jack remembered what it looked like at that time yesterday morning and just took Mac’s hand, not even wincing when those strong fingers squeezed his so tightly the bones creaked.

Leanna was the one who was brave enough to wander into the back room, and when she came back there was a sliver of hope on her face. “They didn’t go in there, so all the ink that was back there, along with the needles and all the spare parts, that’s still here. We lost front of house, but at least there’s something we can take with us.”

“Good,” Mac said, his voice rough from crying. “Because we need to pack it up and get it out of here. Once we do that, I’m going to have a talk with Murdoc.”

Jack’s head immediately snapped to Mac. The last thing he wanted was Mac anywhere near that psycho, but judging by the look on Mac’s face, Jack wasn’t going to talk him out of it. He wasn’t sure what talking to him was supposed to accomplish since the dude was batshit crazy, but there was something in Mac’s eyes... guilt, Jack suddenly realized. Mac blamed himself for everything, probably thinking it was his fault because he was the one to get involved with Murdoc and then break up with him, causing him to get revenge on the parlor.

“I’m coming with you,” Jack said, because there was no way he was letting Mac go alone. Also, he was aware he might have made things worse by breaking Murdoc’s nose, but he kept it to himself.

Mac looked at him for a moment before he nodded, squeezing Jack’s hand again, gentler this time. “Okay,” he said, soft and grateful, and Jack fell even further in love with him. “I... thank you, Jack.”

“You guys are adorable,” Desi said, watching them out of the corner of her eye, a small smile on her face. “And if you ever tell anybody I said that, I’ll kill you both.”

She headed into the back room with the others and Mac moved to follow, but Jack’s grip on his hand held him back. He reeled Mac in and gave him a kiss on the mouth. “This is probably a dumb question, but... how are you doing, darlin’?” he asked quietly, thumb skimming over Mac’s knuckles. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“I’m...” Mac started, looking away and clearly thinking how to answer. “I’m barely holding it together,” he quietly admitted, and Jack could tell how huge it was that Mac said that so openly. He squeezed Jack’s hand and met his gaze, his eyes vulnerable, and Jack had a feeling he rarely let anyone see him like that. “You... if it wasn’t for you, I would have fallen apart already,” he said, swallowing hard, and Jack’s heart broke. “I don’t know how to do this, Jack,” Mac whispered. “And I’m... I’m afraid of talking to Murdoc, you know? But I have to do this. This is...” Mac trailed off. “If it wasn’t for me, this would have never happened.”

“Now hang on a sec,” Jack said, pulling him closer and not caring who saw—if any straggling neighbors wanted a peek, let them look. He needed the reassurance of Mac’s body pressed up against his just as much as Mac did. “You might’ve broken up with him, Mac, but you aren’t making him do any of this, just like you didn’t make him hit you. He’s a grown man who’s responsible for his own actions.” He brought up his free hand to brush the hair back from Mac’s eyes. “And I’ll be right there with you, okay? I promised you he wouldn’t touch you again and I meant it.”

Mac blinked his blue eyes at him and Jack hated how haunted they are. After a moment, he leaned in and kissed Jack’s cheek before giving him a short, tight hug. “I love you, Jack,” he whispered in his ear.

Jack hugged him back as tight as he could. “I love you too, darlin’,” he murmured, and then Mac was pulling back and grabbing his hand again. He still looked sad, but there was this determined glint in his eyes as well. “Come on, we should help the others pack.”

They went in the back with everybody else, and with each box they packed Mac’s step seemed to get a little lighter. There was a lot of stuff, which meant less money they’d have to spend in order to outfit the new parlor, and Jack didn’t know when he started including himself in this little gang of people but he liked the feeling of it.

After loading everything into Desi and Leanna’s cars, Mac said, “Dez, go ahead and take this to my place. If you want, you can move my truck and start cleaning out the garage.”

“I’ll also call the insurance company and see if we can get anything out of them,” she said, and leaned in to kiss Mac’s cheek in a surprising gesture of affection, and Jack wondered idly if there was ever anything romantic between them. “It’s gonna be okay, Mac.”

He smiled at her and then followed Jack to the GTO, sliding into the passenger’s seat. “I’ll give you directions to Murdoc’s place.”

He was quiet during the ride expect for telling Jack where to turn, but Jack didn’t blame him. He couldn’t even imagine what was going on in his head, but Jack was determined to help him as much as he could, in any way he could. It turned out that Murdoc didn’t live far from the parlor which in some way made sense since he owns the building. The house he lived in looked... surprisingly normal, but Jack didn’t know what he expected.

“No bats and coffins in sight? Color me shocked,” he muttered once he parked the car.

Mac smiled a little, which was the best Jack could expect given the situation. “No spiders or rats either,” he said, and they got out of the car together. They walked up to the door and Mac rang the bell, and after a pause nobody answered. He tried it again, and now Jack saw his patience was wearing thin, anger sparking up in Mac’s eyes as he banged a fist on the door and shouted, “Murdoc, I know you’re in there! You should come to the door if you don’t want me to scream at your neighbors about all the STDs you have!”

If the situation wasn’t so serious Jack would’ve laughed at that, but now he just let his lips quirk up in a small smile. After a moment there was some shuffling behind the door and then it opened, revealing Murdoc. He was watching them with a satisfied smirk and black, narrowed eyes, although the expression wasn’t as powerful as he probably wanted thanks to his broken nose.

“Angus! And... pitbull,” Murdoc greeted them, eyes mostly fixed on Mac. “What a pleasant surprise.”

“Cut the crap, you know why I’m here,” Mac said, and he shouldered his way past Murdoc into the house.

Jack followed before Murdoc could shut the door, and Murdoc glared at him from around the splints keeping his nose attached to his face. His expression reverted back to placid and neutral by the time he turned to face Mac. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about, Angus. Care to share?”

“You destroyed my tattoo parlor,” Mac said, and held up a hand when Murdoc opened his mouth. “Don’t try to deny it, we all know it was you, regardless of whether you did it yourself or not. The question is, what are we going to do about it?”

“Oh no,” Murdoc gasped, and Jack’s fist itched. “Your little parlor got destroyed? What a _tragedy_.” He sighed and shook his head. Both Jack and Mac glared at him and after a second he dropped the act, a smirk growing on his face. “Angus, I thought I made myself clear yesterday,” he said, taking a step closer to Mac, and Jack was instantly on high alert, but Mac didn’t take a step back. “You know what I want, dear.”

“And I also know you aren’t getting it,” Mac said, crossing his arms over his chest, chin tilted out just a little in defiance. “We’re moving Phoenix Rising. I came here to break my lease. If you want the deposit back, I’ll pay you, but you’re letting me out of my contract.” He cocked his head to one side, watching Murdoc’s face, the tiniest smile on his lips. “Unless you’d like me to tell Cassian what you did.”

To Jack’s surprise Murdoc froze in place, the leer fading from his expression. “You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, but I would,” Mac said, and he spared Jack a glance and added, “Cassian is Murdoc’s son. He’s eight years old and thinks I’m pretty cool. Cool enough to believe me, probably.”

Jack’s eyes widened in shock, because a son? He did not see that coming. He also never expected that kind of threat to come from Mac, and this was exactly something Jack would do, and Jack was kind of even more in love. Murdoc was staring at Mac, seething, and Jack loved every second of it.

“So?” Mac arched his eyebrow. “What’s it gonna be?” Murdoc gritted his teeth and the smile on Mac’s face widened. “Cat got your tongue?”

“He might not believe you,” Murdoc pointed out, but there was no heat behind it, only a sort of cold resignation. “I’m his father.”

“Yeah, and you and I both know how much fathers can suck,” Mac replied, calm and collected. He shrugged a little. “He might not believe me... but would it be enough to make him wonder? Or to doubt you? Only one way to find out.”

Murdoc glared at him for a moment before he deflated a little. “Fine. Break your lease, I don’t need your money. Just don’t tell Cassian.”

“Leave us alone, and my lips are sealed,” Mac promised, and he reached for Jack’s hand before heading for the door. “Goodbye, Murdoc.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a little longer than the others... but it hurts more too. :)

Jack was silent until they were safely inside the GTO, and then he leaned over and pulled Mac into a hard kiss, swallowing the sound of surprise Mac let out. “You are amazing,” he muttered against Mac’s lips. “What you did back there... god, I love you.”

Mac smiled into it as he kissed Jack in return, touching his cheek when he pulled back. “I love you too... but I wasn’t sure that would work,” he admitted, his smile widening as Jack kissed the palm of his hand. “If there’s something Murdoc loves more than himself and money, though, it’s Cassian. He’s not the world’s greatest dad or anything, but the last thing he’d want is for his son to think he’d do something awful like that.” His stomach chose that moment to make a rather loud growling sound. “Wanna pick up breakfast on the way back to my place? I bet Desi and the others would appreciate it, since none of us got a chance to eat this morning.”

Once again Jack wondered what the story was with Mac’s father, but this wasn’t the time to ask about that. “Breakfast sounds awesome,” he said with a smile and his stomach definitely agreed. He kissed Mac again, short and sweet this time before pulling away and starting the car. “So, where to? Anything in particular you’re in the mood for?”

Mac directed him to a little breakfast place that wasn’t far from his house, and they wound up with enough Belgian waffles and various sides to feed a small army. Coffee had already been made by the time they got there, and Jack was shocked to see the sheer amount of crap that the others had pulled out of Mac’s garage while they were gone.

“We’re not even halfway through it,” Riley told Jack as she handed him a mug of coffee, sweat beaded up on her brow. “Your boyfriend’s a bit of a hoarder. Or his grandfather was.”

“Both of us, I’m afraid,” Mac winced with a small, sheepish smile—way too cute for his own good.

Jack couldn’t help but smile too when Riley called Mac his boyfriend. “Jesus, babe, what even is that?” Jack asked with a frown, gesturing at... something standing nearby that looked like it may have been a microwave in its past life.

Mac’s eyes lit up and he started rambling about how microwave energy could be used for all sorts of things, and how he wondered if it could be amplified high enough to disrupt molecules outside of its containment field... and he was such a nerd, and Jack loved him so much he ached with it. He felt Bozer’s eyes on him and when Jack glanced over, he gave him the subtlest of nods—like by listening to Mac’s seminar on the history of microwaves he had passed some kind of test.

“I honestly don’t know what a lot of the stuff in here is,” Mac said, and bent down to open up a box that appeared to be full of nothing but old screwdrivers. He winced a little. “I guess we’ll have to go through it all... bad time to mention the basement is also like this?”

Everyone groaned out loud, but Mac just laughed, and Jack was glad to hear that sound. It wasn’t as happy as the day before, but it was a start. They took a break to eat the breakfast on the deck and Jack’s heart stuttered when Mac pressed himself against him, kissing his cheek. “Good news, guys,” Mac said, smiling at everyone. “I broke the lease, we’re not tied to Murdoc anymore.”

“What? That’s amazing!” Leanna exclaimed, and the others voiced their agreement. “How’d you do it?”

Mac explained about Cassian and Desi smiled, punching him in the arm lightly. “I knew that creep had to have a weak spot. Nice job. I’ve got some good news too—I talked to the insurance company, and once they send an adjuster out to look at the shop, we’ll probably get money for at least half our new equipment. It’s not great, but it’s better than nothing.”

“It’ll help,” Bozer said, munching on some bacon. “I texted some of the guys in my class and they said if you bought them pizza they’d come help with whatever we need on the weekends.”

“I have a few Army buddies that live in LA,” Jack added, taking a sip of his coffee. “I saved their asses enough times that they would be happy to help with some heavy lifting.” He was also wondering if there was any way for him to use his CIA connections to make it easier somehow, and he was already cataloguing the favors he could cash in in order to help Mac.

“So I’ll take all the measurements today, and we can go over to the store and buy everything we need,” Mac said, and was actually getting excited, because his crazy plan wasn’t so crazy after all.

They finished up with the food and after a couple hours they have the garage completely emptied out, and Mac goaded Bozer into holding the other end of a tape measure while he figured out dimensions. Jack sat with Desi on a big box full of empty munitions crates (he didn’t want to know how Mac’s grandfather got those), and he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. When he took it out to look at it, his stomach tightened—it was work.

He had been off for a while, his previous mission was pretty exhausting even though it was in the US. Now he had a bad feeling about this and thought about ignoring the call, but he knows they’d keep calling until they reached him. He slid off the box, ignoring Desi’s questioning gaze, and walked away, seeing Mac look at him with concern. He must’ve seen something on Jack’s face that made him look that way, and Jack cursed his inability to hide it from him.

He took a deep breath and answered the phone. “Dalton.”

“Dalton, it’s Smith,” a gruff voice said, and Jack groaned internally—of the supervisors in the West Coast CIA office, Gerald Smith was widely regarded as the biggest asshole. He had a bald spot the size of Alaska and a no-nonsense personality that would more fitting for a robot. “You got your thirty days of vacation, and I don’t know if you’ve been keeping track, but they ended yesterday. I’ve got a mission in Cambodia with your name on it, and you’re leaving tonight.”

“Now hang on a second,” Jack instantly protested, his heart racing. “I’m supposed to only work the US now—that was the deal.”

“It was and now it’s over,” Smith replied, his voice bored. “Whatever personal issues you had, I hope they’re dealt with because like I said, you’re leaving tonight. Enough of sitting on your ass, Dalton.”

With that Smith hung up and Jack just stood there, completely still and staring ahead. This was a complete nightmare and he didn’t even know what to do, how to tell Riley, god, how to tell _Mac_...

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” Mac’s quiet voice sounded right behind him and made him jump.

When he spins around Mac was right there, arms wrapped around his middle, and he was watching him sadly. That look on Mac’s face was enough to make Jack want to drop everything and cry, right then and there.

“I don’t want to,” he whispered, voice trembling just a little. He took a hesitant step closer, relieved when Mac didn’t step back, and pulled him into his arms. He hid his face against Mac’s hair and breathed in his smell, and never wanted to leave his side. “But I don’t have a choice. After this mission, maybe... I have a friend—well, more like a frenemy—Matilda Webber, she left to start her own organization. She might hire me if I quit the CIA.” Because that was where Jack’s mind went immediately—quitting his job so he wouldn’t get pulled away from Mac again.

Mac’s arms wrapped around Jack’s waist and he hugged him tightly. “I understand, Jack,” he said quietly, sounding so morose it broke Jack’s heart. “It’s... it’s your job. And I don’t want you to quit because of me,” Mac whispered. “You love what you do and I’m pretty sure you’re damn good at it. I’m not... I’m not worth it.” Jack was about to protest, but Mac didn’t give him a chance, exhaling shakily and pulling back, and much to Jack’s horror there were tears in his eyes. “So I... I guess this is... this is over now?”

Jack’s world tilted on its axis and suddenly he felt like he might faint. “What? Mac, baby, no,” he said, and there was a note of pleading to it. His hands shook hard when he brought them up to hold Mac’s face, staring into those too-blue eyes full of heartbreak. “Darlin’, I love you, remember? I want to be with you so bad it hurts, all the time, and we haven’t been apart yet. There’s no way in hell I’d end this with you just because of a mission.” He paused and considered a painful possibility. “Unless... do _you_ want to... to end it? Did I do something wrong?”

Mac started shaking his head even before Jack was done talking. “No, no, Jack, of course not,” he said, sniffling, tears running down his face. He leaned into Jack’s touch, his hands gripping Jack’s shoulders. “I love you too. I just... I thought... I don’t know what I thought,” he whispered. “But if you... don’t wanna end it, I’ll wait for you. As long as I need to, but Jack... I meant what I said about you quitting.” Mac smiled sadly. “I don’t want you to throw your life away for me.”

Jack shook his head a little bit and leaned in to kiss him, gently but firmly. “But that’s the thing, Mac—until yesterday, the only life I ever had outside of work was Riley. No real friends, no relationships, nothing. And I didn’t realize it until my phone rang, but I was so fucking _lonely_... until I met you.” He pressed their foreheads together and shut his eyes, willing Mac to understand. “My job doesn’t matter. I have money, I can get another job. What matters is you, and Riley, and everybody else, and I can’t... I can’t enjoy my life if I’m halfway across the world dodging bullets.”

Jack felt Mac exhale and then he opened his eyes when Mac pulled back a little. There were still tears in Mac’s eyes, but he wasn’t looking so heartbroken anymore. Jack was aware of others watching them while trying not to be obvious, but that didn’t matter right now. “You’re... you’re something else,” Mac whispered, and swallows hard. “And I love you, so much.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to the corner of Jack’s mouth, lingering there. “Promise you’ll come back to me.”

“I promise I’ll do everything I can to make it back to you,” Jack said, his voice rough like sandpaper from how hard he was trying not to lose it.

He felt more than saw Riley come up to them, and one look from him told her everything she needed to know. Her face crumpled a little and she hugged him hard, dragging Mac into it too when he tried to step back to give them some space.

“I know, Riles, I’m sorry,” Jack whispered, and the tears came, he couldn’t help it.

He kissed her forehead and resolved again to call Matty and ask her if she had any job openings. If not, maybe he’d become a real bathroom tile salesman—anything to stop this from happening again. Both Mac and Riley were now tucked under his arms, wrapped around him and clinging. Jack looked up after a moment, meeting Desi’s gaze above their heads and she gave him a sad smile. She knew what was going on, of course she did, but... Bozer and Leanna didn’t. They watched the scene with concern but also confusion written all over their faces and well, Jack couldn’t really blame them.

“Um, guys?” Bozer eventually asked hesitantly. “Asking if anything’s wrong seems kinda pointless, but... what’s going on?”

Jack blew out a harsh breath... and he surprised the hell out of himself by telling the truth. “I work for the CIA, and I just got a mission. It’s out of country, and I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”

Leanna’s eyes went wide. “You’re a spy?” When Jack nodded hesitantly, she almost jumped up and down. “That’s _so_ cool! Isn’t that cool, Bozer?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s super cool,” Bozer said, in a tone that suggested it might not be. There was something... combative in his eyes, and Jack guessed it wasn’t himself he wanted to fight for, but Mac. “Does this happen a lot? You taking off without people knowing if you’re gonna come back?”

Jack held his gaze, his arms around Mac and Riley tightening instinctively. “Usually, yeah,” he said because that was the truth, it used to be his life. “I had a deal with them though and lately I’ve only been working in the country because of Riley, but... apparently my deal is off.” Jack winced a little. “I know you trust me even less than before, Bozer. But believe me when I say that I hate this. I hate that I have to go, but I don’t have choice.”

Bozer’s gaze searched his face for a moment, and then he nodded like he wasn’t happy, but he believed that was the truth. “Okay. I just don’t want to see you turn out to be another person in Mac’s life that he gets attached to and then they run away.”

“Oh no, wait a minute!” Leanna exclaimed, before Jack or Mac could respond to that. “If you don’t know how long you’ll be gone... you might miss the wedding.”

“I’m invited to your wedding?” Jack asked incredulously.

“Well duh,” Leanna replied. “I think we all pretty much figured you’d be Mac’s date, and that Desi was bringing Riley—which, side note, that’s fantastic because I was afraid we were going to have another Tinder Jim incident.”

Desi rolled her eyes. “That was _one_ time, and for people who didn’t want to help me bury his body, you all bring him up an awful lot.”

Jack didn’t even know what the mission is about yet, but he was going to have to perform some fucking magic to get it done in record time. “Look, I... I can’t promise I’ll make it,” he said quietly, not wanting to give anyone false hope. “But I can promise to do my absolute best. And Bozer, about what you said—”

“I appreciate you looking out for me, Boze,” Mac interjected, pulling himself away a little to look at his best friend, although his grip on Jack didn’t falter. His voice was quiet but firm. “But Jack’s not like that.”

Bozer came closer and put a hand on Mac’s shoulder. “You know I always have your back, Mac,” he said. “And if you trust Jack, then so do I.”

“Just do your best to get back in time, and that’ll have to be enough,” Desi said. As an afterthought, she added, “Oh, and try not to die, or we’ll have to bury you with Tinder Jim—great, now I’m bringing it up, _this_ is why I stopped using dating apps. Now, can we please go to the store and order the shit we need?” She was trying to get the spotlight off Jack, which he appreciated, and then she surprised him when she continued, “Give me the list, Mac, I’ll go get everything. You two should get to spend some time alone.”

“I’ll go with you,” Riley said, untangling herself from Jack and giving him a watery smile. “You better come back in one piece or I’ll kick your ass,” she threatened, and they both knew she would and he’d let her. He hugged her again while Mac stepped back to get Desi the list, and soon they got into Desi’s car and drove away.

“We should head back to our place,” Leanna declared, grabbing Bozer’s hand. “Wedding details and all that to deal with. Take care of yourself, Jack.” She gave him a small smile and so did Bozer, and then they were gone as well, leaving just him and Mac alone.

Almost immediately Mac was by his side, wrapping his arms around his neck and hugging him again. “When are you leaving?”

Jack slid an arm around Mac’s waist and used his free hand to check his phone. He had a text with transport details. “I have to be at the airport by midnight,” he said. “They’re sending a car for me, I told them to pick me up here.” He putted the phone away and ran his fingers through Mac’s hair, pressing his lips to his cheek. “I’m all yours for the next twelve hours or so. What should we do?”

Mac leaned back a little and touched Jack’s cheek with his hand, fingers brushing his stubble. “You know, if this was any other day... I would have a dozen options for you,” Mac said quietly, giving Jack a small smile, clearly trying to put on a brave face, and somehow he looked so much younger than he was. “But now... now I don’t know,” he whispered, and it broke Jack’s heart.

He brushed his thumb over the skin under Jack’s eyes, and then he pulled him in for a soft kiss, so gentle that it made Jack tear up. Jack moved his hand from Mac’s hair to his face, arm tightening around his waist as he kissed him back. It stayed relatively chaste and when they pulled apart, Mac tugged him toward the house.

“Let’s go have a beer, we’ll order something for lunch,” he suggested, and it was clear to Jack that he was trying to get his shit together. “Whatever you want.” He paused as he opened the door, glancing back at Jack, that tiny little smile back on his face. “And then I want you to fuck me through the mattress.” Another pause. “I tried to think of a more elegant way to say that but there really isn’t one?”

Jack tripped over his own feet and if it wasn’t for Mac holding his hand, he would’ve fallen down on his face. “I’m... yeah, I can... I can do that,” he stammered, and the smile on Mac’s face widened a little.

“Glad you’re on board,” Mac said, and dragged Jack to the kitchen where he wrapped his arms around his neck again and gave him a short kiss. “So, what do you want for lunch?”

“You expect me to think after hearing you say that?” Jack asked, and smiled when Mac laughed. It wasn’t that full-bellied uncontrolled one Jack adored, but it was genuine and that was enough. “How about tacos? I won’t be eating Mexican in Cambodia.”

And fuck, he shouldn’t have let that slip out, but thankfully Mac didn’t call him out on it, just pulled out his phone and placed an order with a local place in flawless Spanish. That made Jack raise his eyebrows, because his own Spanish was flawless between growing up in Texas and the Army. When Mac hung up he saw the look on Jack’s face and shrugged. “I got bored a lot in school, wound up taking a lot of languages. Spanish, French, and German are all very similar, and I know a little Farci and Urdu from the Sandbox.”

Jack knew a few languages of his own, but still, he was impressed. Then again, he shouldn’t have been surprised considering Mac was literally a genius. “Is there anything you can’t do?” Jack murmured, pulling Mac closer and kissing him again. He loved how smart Mac was, and now he definitely was _not_ thinking about Mac whimpering in Spanish while he was fucking him... but that was something to consider for when he came back.

If Mac still wanted him then.

“Cook,” Mac said against his lips, and when Jack made a questioning sound, Mac pulled back a little, his fingertips stroking over the back of Jack’s neck. He was completely at ease in Jack’s embrace, something that still made Jack’s heart flutter—he was so dangerous, so deadly, and Mac just... didn’t mind. “I can’t cook. Anything. One time I tried to boil water and burned it. There are six fire extinguishers in this kitchen because Bozer said he wasn’t moving out unless he knew I couldn’t burn the house down.”

“Oh my god.” Jack laughed, kissing Mac’s cheek and chuckling against his skin. “That’s adorable,” he murmured, kissing the corner of Mac’s lips next, and god, he couldn’t imagine going away and not having _this_ every day.

“You wouldn’t think it was adorable if you saw how scorched the kitchen’s been before,” Mac muttered, and that only made Jack laugh again.

They made out in the kitchen until the doorbell rang, and then Mac went to pay the delivery guy while Jack fished some beers out of the fridge. They went out on the deck to eat, sitting on the same side of the picnic table and sharing the ridiculous spread of food. Every time Mac’s shoulder bumped his Jack felt a spark of warmth in his chest that he was terrified to lose, so he tried to hide it with lame jokes and some wild stories from past missions (without disclosing details, of course). Mac laughed at his jokes and the stories, and he was so beautiful that it made Jack’s heart hurt. Before he knew it they were done eating, empty beer bottles sitting on the table, and Jack felt his chest tighten painfully. Time passed quickly when he was with Mac, but today that wasn’t a good thing—he tried not to think about it too much, but it was hard to ignore the clock basically hanging above their heads.

Mac was pressed against his side, so Jack wrapped his arm around his shoulders and kissed his temple. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

“I’m gonna miss you too,” Mac murmured, both of his arms going around Jack’s middle, so when Jack looked down he was staring at the colorful patchwork of Mac’s tattoos, the story of his life in permanent ink.

He couldn’t believe how lucky he got that Riley happened to pick Mac’s place for her cover up, that Mac fell for him just as hard or even gave him a second look. Together they got up from the table and cleaned up the leftovers, and an idea occurred to Jack—it was kind of a crazy impulsive one, but Mac brought that out in him. “You brought the extra compressor and tattoo gun you found in the storage room over here, right?” When Mac nodded, looking at him curiously, Jack blurted the words he was thinking out before he could regret them: “I want you to tattoo me before I leave.”

Mac was facing away from Jack when he said that and Jack saw him freeze completely before he slowly turned around, his eyes wide. “What?” he breathed out, staring at Jack as if he was seeing him for the first time. “But I... Riley mentioned you were never into tattoos that much. Why would you...” Mac trailed off, his eyes searching Jack’s face, and whatever he saw there made him take a tentative step forward. “You’re... serious?”

Jack swallowed hard and nodded. “Totally serious.” He thought about how to phrase what he wanted to say next. “I was never into tattoos because I never understood the meaning behind them. I thought people got them to look cool, or because they wanted to seem tough, and I’m sure there’s people like that out there and that’s fine... but almost all of yours mean something.” His voice cracked a little. “You mean something to me, so I want a tattoo from you.” Up until this point Jack wasn’t even sure what kind of tattoo he wanted, but seeing the edges of the galaxy peeking out from under the sleeves of Mac’s t-shirt, it came to him immediately. “A phoenix tattoo. Not as big as yours, obviously.”

Mac took another step closer and Jack saw the gears turning in his head. “You’re sure about this,” Mac said softly, a touch of wonder in his voice. “I’m... of course, Jack, I would... it would be an honor to tattoo you.” He grabbed Jack’s hand and tugged him closer, giving him a gentle kiss. “Any idea where you want it?”

“Inside of my arm,” Jack replied immediately. “That way I can look at it when I miss you.”

As soon as he said that last part out loud his eyes went wide, because wow, that was sappy—but Mac only kissed him again, a little longer this time. Then he pulled Jack toward the couch and grabbed his drawing tablet, which thankfully Mac brought home with him so it wasn’t destroyed. He scrolled through his photo gallery and found a picture of his back tattoo, then cropped out the background and shrunk it down to the right size. He took his stylus and refined the details before he remembered something.

“Shit, I don’t have any transfer sheets.” Mac looked at Jack, his gaze uncertain. “If you want to do this I’d have to freehand it.”

“That’s alright,” Jack said, grabbing and squeezing Mac’s hand. “I trust you.” And that’s the truth, he trusted Mac completely. He was aware that that was... unusual because he didn’t trust easily, he’d be the first to admit it. With his job he’d seen enough shit and had been betrayed enough times to always keep his guard up, but with Mac... Mac just slipped past his defenses effortlessly. He saw in Mac’s eyes that he was aware of what Jack’s words meant, and he squeezed his hand again when Mac still looked uncertain. “I mean it, Mac.”

“Okay,” Mac whispered, and squeezed Jack’s hand in return. “The garage has the electrical capacity for the compressor... I need to jury-rig some kind of chair...”

Once again Jack saw the gears turning in his head again, and it was truly something to watch. They went out to the garage and Jack sat on the steps while he watched Mac assemble a temporary tattooing station in about twenty minutes. He doused everything in alcohol to make sure it was sterile, then had Jack sat in the chair he made, which was essentially a rocking chair that had been elevated to the correct height and immobilized. It had an armrest made from part of a tabletop, and Mac went through the same process he did with Riley, shaving and washing the skin, making sure he was going to put the tattoo where Jack wanted it.

Then he had all his supplies laid out and looked at Jack for confirmation before he put the needle to his skin. “You good?”

“I’m good, baby, go for it,” Jack said with a smile, and Mac smiled back before the familiar buzzing of the gun echoed in the garage and Mac got to work.

~***~

It didn’t hurt much and after a while Jack barely noticed it, too busy watching Mac. He had a focused look on his face and in some moments his tongue would peek between his lips, and it might’ve been the cutest shit Jack had ever seen. His hands were steady because of course they were, and Jack was completely mesmerized by him. He glanced between the tablet and Jack’s arm, but only when his foot was off the compressor pedal, and occasionally he stopped to flick his hair out of his eyes or make sure Jack was okay.

“Doesn’t hurt as much as I thought it would,” Jack commented at one point, proud of himself—until Mac got to outlining the phoenix’s tail. Then he yelped a little, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Mac snickered but looked at him fondly, hearts practically visible in his eyes. “You were saying?”

“Oh hush, you.” Jack rolled his eyes.

“I’m not saying anything,” Mac said, his eyes fixed on the tattoo. He stopped for a moment to look at Jack with an arched eyebrow, an amused smirk playing on his lips. “You’re doing great actually,” he said, his eyes shining with mirth. “You know, for someone who’s afraid of needles.”

Jack groaned, leaning his head back against the rocking chair and shutting his eyes. “I’m _not_ afraid of needles, oh my god. Besides, this really isn’t like getting a shot—I can’t even see the needle from where I’m sitting.”

“Whatever you say, babe,” Mac said in a way that implied he didn’t believe him for a second, and switched out the thin outlining needle for a much bigger shading one. “Just don’t jump out of the chair on me—I had a guy do that once and he wound up with a giant black line down his dick.”

Jack shuddered at the mental image of that. “Don’t you worry, it takes much more than that to make me jump,” he said before his eyes widened a little, registering everything Mac just said. “Wait, down his... hang on, _where_ exactly were you tattooing him?”

Mac looked at him like he was wondering if Jack was hard of hearing all of a sudden. “On his dick?” he repeated, calm as anything. Then he rolled his eyes. “It happens all the time, with guys especially. Women usually want their asses tattooed, which is almost worse.” He started shading in the gold and white parts of the phoenix while Jack stared at him in semi-amused befuddlement. “But obviously the penis is a very sensitive organ, and men have a tendency to think they’re very macho when they’re really not.”

Jack blinked a few times before snickering. “What? It’s hilarious. You know, I’m pretty sure I’m gonna regret asking, but... what exactly do they usually want tattooed on their dicks? Because I just... I can’t see it, man.”

“Well, ones I’ve done personally... an elephant trunk, a spaceship, a banana... some guys want writing on them but that’s just not possible, especially if they’ve got foreskin. Desi did one a while back where the guy just wanted a blackout tattoo all over his dick. I don’t know why and I didn’t want to ask.” Mac seemed completely comfortable talking about it. “I think the most interesting one was the guy who wanted his dick to look like a snake. I had fun with that.”

Jack chuckled. “I’m sure you did.”

He asked Mac more about the tattoos he’d done, about the most ridiculous ones and about the most difficult ones, and it was... nice. Mac had a lot of funny stories to share and it almost made Jack forget about the mission and leaving. Almost, because all of that was still in the back of his head, but with Mac and the tattoo distracting him it was easier to just... not think about it. The tattoo only took about an hour because it wasn’t that big, and once it was done Mac bandaged it for Jack and told him how to take care of it for the next few days.

“For the love of god, don’t get a sunburn,” Mac said. “Your skin will peel and it’ll look less like a phoenix and more like an ugly dog.” He gave Jack some ibuprofen to keep the swelling to a minimum, and then he made him drink an entire bottle of water... and _then_ he sat in Jack’s lap and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You’re an excellent client.”

Jack wrapped his arms around Mac to steady him and turned his head to kiss Mac on the lips. One short kiss turned into two, then three, just soft presses of lips, and Jack could’ve stayed like that forever. “Mhmm, I think you may be a little biased,” Jack muttered against Mac’s mouth before nipping on his bottom lip and then mouthing on his jaw.

“Maybe... a little,” Mac admitted, his arms circling Jack’s neck. He sounded pleasantly breathless, and he shifted a little so he’s straddling Jack’s thighs. His hips twitched forward when Jack’s teeth grazed the skin of his throat, and again when Jack’s hands crept down to grope his ass. “Mhmm, you’re good at other things too.”

“Oh yeah?” Jack murmured against his skin, biting on his throat a little harder and smiling when Mac moaned softly. He slid his hands from Mac’s ass to run them up and down his thighs a few times before one of his hands went back to Mac’s ass, squeezing it hard. “Like what?” His other hand slid under the material of Mac’s shirt, slowly stroking up his back while Jack bit down on the spot where Mac’s neck met his shoulder before sucking a bruise into his skin.

“Driving me crazy, for one thing,” Mac replied, tilting his head to the side to give Jack more access to his skin before taking his shirt off, revealing all those beautiful tattoos Jack had gotten acquainted with recently. His fingers slipped up under Jack’s shirt and Jack pulled it off and tossed it aside. Mac shifted in his lap again, but this time it was to extract lube and a condom from his pocket. He smiled when Jack blinked at him in surprise and said, “I was never a Boy Scout, but I’m always prepared.”

Jack ran both of his hands up Mac’s back, knowing he was tracing the gorgeous phoenix with his fingers. He moved his lips to kiss Mac on the mouth again, and this time it wasn’t a soft press of lips. This time Jack’s devouring his mouth from the start, fingers digging into Mac’s shoulder blades, Mac’s hips twitching again and Jack can feel him getting hard. “What happened to me fucking you through the mattress?” Jack mumbles against Mac’s lips, his hands sliding to the waistband of his jeans, fingers toying with the button.

Mac smiled into the kiss, nipping playfully at Jack’s lower lip. “I think it’s turned into me riding you until we break this chair.” He set the supplies on the armrest and let Jack open his jeans, then lifted up on his knees and yanked them off along with his underwear. Once Mac was naked in his lap, he ground down purposefully against Jack’s growing erection through his clothes. “If that’s something you’re interested in, I mean.”

Jack groaned deeply, his hands moving to grip Mac’s hips as he thrusted up, as much as he could in their position. “Yeah, yeah, baby,” Jack breathed out, reaching for the lube as his other hand moved to grope Mac’s ass again. “I’m very interested in that.”

After pouring some lube on his fingers, he wrapped his one arm tightly around Mac’s waist, pressing his finger against his hole, rubbing it teasingly for a moment before slowly pushing his finger inside. Mac let out a low sound, his hands coming up to grip Jack’s shoulders. Now that he had something inside him to grind against Jack got a preview of what this was going to feel like. Mac had more control of all his muscles like this, and the way he squeezed and rolled Jack’s finger inside him was positively sinful.

Jack added a second finger and watched as Mac tossed his head back, his eyes rolling back in his head when Jack found his prostate. “Oh, oh, _Jack_.”

Jack groaned when he heard Mac moan his name like that, clenching around his fingers, and he just couldn’t wait to get his cock inside him. “Fuck, baby, you’re so gorgeous like this.”

Jack tightening his arm around Mac to press them closer as he pushed his fingers deeper, thrusting them a little harder and nudging his prostate again. Mac cried out, clawing at Jack’s shoulders and rolling his hips, trying to fuck himself on Jack’s fingers, and Jack was just watching him, mesmerized. He added a third finger and started pushing them in and out faster until Mac was almost sobbing above him, his hips twitching erratically.

“Look at you, baby, so fucking stunning,” Jack breathed out, admiring how wrecked Mac looked because of _him_. “And all mine, aren’t you?” That last sentence slipped out without his permission and his eyes widened, because the last thing he wanted was to seem like a possessive asshole.

Mac’s eyes snapped open to stare at Jack when he heard that last part, and they were practically black with lust. He moved his hands to grip Jack’s face and leaned in for a filthy kiss, one that was mostly tongue and teeth. “Yours,” he whispered against Jack’s lips, and... oh. Mac... liked that? “All yours. Please, please fuck me Jack, I need it.” His fingers were on the front of Jack’s jeans, and the next thing Jack knew his pants and underwear were down far enough to expose his cock and Mac had his hand wrapped around him, stroking lightly. He waited for Jack to recover from the bolt of arousal that lanced through him at that touch before he spoke again, lips pressed to Jack’s jaw. “I know I joked about STDs this morning, but I’m clean—I never let Murdoc do anything without a condom.” A nip to Jack’s earlobe. “If you’re... if you’re clean too... I don’t want to use one this time.”

If Mac kept talking like that Jack might die. The fact that Mac never did anything with Murdoc without a condom, but was trusting Jack enough to go without after knowing him for a day... “I’m... I’m clean too,” Jack breathed out, gasping when Mac bit him harder.

After pushing his fingers inside Mac one final time, he removed them and reached for the lube... but Mac swatted his hand away, choosing to lube Jack’s cock up himself, and yeah, Jack was definitely going to die. Mac gave Jack’s cock a couple of strokes before lifting himself up a little and lining himself up. He rested his forehead against Jack’s and slowly started sinking down on his cock, letting out a long moan. Jack groaned as well at how tight and hot Mac was around him, hands gripping Mac’s hips hard enough to bruise.

Once Jack was completely inside him and Mac was sitting in his lap, they both needed a minute to steady themselves. Jack had to concentrate very hard on not coming right fucking now, because every time Mac so much as breathed his muscles rippled around Jack’s cock. Mac pressed their lips together in a slightly off-center kiss before he dropped his head to rest on top of Jack’s shoulder and rocked his hips experimentally. He did it again a little harder and whimpered, hands moving around to grab at Jack’s back. He was working himself on Jack’s cock, searching for his prostate, and Jack didn’t have to do a damn thing except watch... and feel.

Jack wrapped both of his arms around Mac’s waist so that they were pressed as close as possible. He buried his face in Mac’s neck and tried to control his feelings, not wanting to fall apart, but it was hard since it may be the last time he got to be with Mac like that. Mac, who picked up the pace a little and was now bouncing in his lap, and cried out against Jack’s shoulder when Jack’s cock hit his prostate. He was so unbelievably tight around Jack that he couldn’t help but groan with every slam of Mac’s hips against his, tightening his arms even more around Mac who started trembling, moaning and crying out as he rode Jack so hard he thought he might pass out.

Mac pulled up and slammed down hard, several times in a row, his movements getting rougher, more desperate, fingernails clawing furrows into Jack’s skin. When he found his prostate again he brought his hips down hard and just... stayed there, grinding Jack’s cock into that bundle of nerves with these tiny little movements that felt so good they brought tears to Jack’s eyes. He couldn’t speak, he was afraid if he did he’d start sobbing, so he just squeezed Mac tighter. After a moment of those small jerky movements Mac started to come, moaning Jack’s name and biting down on his shoulder, his whole body shuddering with the intensity of it.

And when the rhythmic tightening of Mac around him didn’t make Jack come, he was once again fully prepared to pull out, but Mac stayed put. “I’m yours, remember?” he panted against Jack’s ear, hot and damp. “Come inside me. I want to feel it.” Jack whined into Mac’s neck, tears rolling down his cheeks. He planted his feet on the ground and removed one arm from around Mac so that he could brace himself, his hand gripping the edge of the chair. Holding Mac in a death grip, he started thrusting up into Mac’s boneless body, panting against his neck. Mac let him do anything he wanted, moaning softly with each thrust of Jack’s hips, lips pressed against Jack’s ear. “That’s... that’s right, Jack. Fill me up, show me I’m yours.”

Jack wasn’t sure how long he used Mac to chase his release—it could’ve been minutes or hours—but when he came it was with a sob, clutching Mac to his chest. His hips kept twitching erratically, pumping his come inside Mac until he finally went still. Mac cried out softly when he felt the warmth flooding his insides, but other than that he didn’t move or react, dependent on Jack to hold him up. Completely out of breath, Jack wrapped his other arm around Mac as well and kept his face buried in Mac’s neck. Tears kept running down his cheeks and his shoulders shook with silent sobs, but he couldn’t stop it. He tried to hide it as much as he could, but with the way he was shaking and gasping for breath, he was sure Mac would notice that Jack was falling apart. For now Mac was still against him, sagged against his chest, and Jack felt his warm breath against his ear, and after a moment Mac stopped gripping his shoulders, arms circling Jack’s neck instead.

Mac nuzzled his temple, and he had to know Jack was crying but he didn’t say a word about it, just held him. “I love you,” he whispered, and Mac’s voice was absolutely wrecked, his fingers scratching slowly through the short hair at the back of Jack’s neck. And was it Jack’s imagination or did Mac’s face feel wet too? “I love you so much, Jack. I’ve never felt like this about anyone before.”

Jack forced himself to take a deep breath. “I love you too,” he said, his voice choked up. “More than I’ve ever loved anyone.”

They sat like that for a moment while Jack desperately tried to get himself back together, not wanting to waste his precious time with Mac on being an idiot. He didn’t understand how it was possible for someone as amazing as Mac to want someone as... lethal as Jack, and while he believed Mac when he said he loved him... he was terrified that he’d change his mind once he realized what kind of things Jack was often forced to do while doing his job.

Mac sat back a little, hands sliding around to frame Jack’s face, thumbs wiping away Jack’s tears. His own face was wet too, exactly like Jack thought, but when he looked into Jack’s eyes there was nothing but affection there. “Hey, I can hear you thinking,” Mac said gently. “I’m not going to change my mind about this, Jack. I want to be with you, and your job doesn’t have any bearing on that.”

“But... why?” The question was out of Jack’s mouth before he knew what he was doing. Since it was out there, there was no point in trying to take it back, so Jack swallowed hard. “I’m... I’m not a good person, Mac. I’ve... I’ve done a lot of bad things that I’m not proud of and I... I really don’t deserve you. I don’t deserve you looking at me like that.” Right now Mac was looking at him as if Jack was his favorite thing in the entire world, and Jack wasn’t worth it. “I’m pretty sure Bozer tried to talk you out of seeing me when I wasn’t looking, and... maybe you should listen to him.”

“Bozer worries about me, sometimes a little too much,” Mac said, and there was fondness in his voice, but it was very different from the kind in his eyes when he looked at Jack. “And I’m not gonna sit here and say none of the things you’ve done matter, because that’s not true... but your past doesn’t define you.” He rubbed Jack’s stubble with the backs of his fingers. “And if you have to do more terrible things so you can come back to me... then I’m gonna be selfish for once in my life and tell you to do them, and don’t feel bad about it.” He smiled a little. “You deserve the world, and I’m going to prove it to you.”

Jack exhaled shakily, leaning in and pressing his lips to Mac’s cheek, lingering there for a moment. “I can’t believe I get to have you,” he murmured against Mac’s skin, slowly stroking Mac’s back with his hands. Suddenly he realized he could feel his come leak around his soft cock from Mac’s hole, and he leaned back to look at Mac with wide eyes. “Shit, I didn’t even ask—are you okay?” His eyes dropped to the hand-shaped bruises on Mac’s hips. “I kinda... I lost it a little by the end.”

Mac flashed him a smile, and pressed that smile against Jack’s mouth. “I’m fine,” he murmured, lifting himself off Jack’s cock, shivering a little when he felt come trickling down the backs of his thighs. “I like it when you’re a little rough with me.” He kissed Jack’s jaw next, then his cheek. “And if you play your cards right, you can do it again in a while.”

Jack shivered when he hears that, he couldn’t help it. He leaned in to kiss Mac on the lips, short and sweet, as he moved his hands to stroke Mac’s sides and then his arms, mesmerized by all the tattoos under his fingers. Then he ran them down Mac’s thighs, focused on taking in the tattoos there since he got interrupted by Murdoc the last time.

He rubbed the flower tattoo with his thumb. “You never told me if that one meant anything.”

Mac settled his head back against Jack’s shoulder, kissing the bruise he left behind when he bit him a few minutes ago. “It’s a forget-me-not,” he said, his arms looping around Jack’s middle and squeezing a little. “My mom liked to garden—all of the flowers are things I remember her planting.”

It was startlingly appropriate, a forget-me-not catching Jack’s attention when he was supposed to leave in only a few hours. That made him more determined to enjoy the time he had left with Mac... and treat it as the last time he was going to see him, because one way or another, it might be.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! We've reached the last chapter! There wasn't much time in between updates because a.) I have nothing else to do and b.) this last chapter is a little shorter than the others, but it should still prove to be a satisfying end to this AU! Thank you all so much for reading and commenting, it means the world to us! We'll be back with another fic soon! <3

Sighing, Mac stared at his reflection in the mirror in his bedroom. It was the day of Leanna and Bozer’s wedding and Mac was happy for them, he really was... but he just couldn’t fully enjoy himself. Straightening his tie, Mac had to concentrate to keep from running his fingers through his hair, not wanting to mess it up, and he sighed again. It’d been a little over a month since Jack left on his mission and Mac missed him more than he’d ever thought it was possible to miss someone.

The tattoo parlor was almost all done—it just needed a few final touches before the opening, and they didn’t want to do it before the wedding... but secretly Mac was also stalling because he couldn’t imagine re-opening the parlor without Jack there. It was hard enough putting it together without him, but opening it just didn’t feel right. None of it felt right without him if Mac was being honest, and his chest tightened painfully. Jack hadn’t contacted him since he left, he couldn’t, Mac knew that... but he’d been foolishly hoping that Jack would make it back in time for the wedding.

There was a knock on his bedroom door, and for a split second Mac’s heart leapt in his chest—it could be Jack—but then the door opened and it was Leanna. She looked absolutely stunning in her ivory dress, and Mac already knew Bozer was a lucky guy but this just sealed it. “You look beautiful,” he said, and he didn’t want to mess up her makeup, so he offered his arm instead of kissing her cheek.

She was estranged from her parents, so when she asked Mac to walk her down the aisle he was more than happy to do it and then stand by Bozer’s side. They headed outside together, and when one of Bozer’s film school buddies started playing the piano they marched down to the platform some of Jack’s old army buddies built and Mac helped Leanna up the stairs. Desi and Riley were her bridesmaids, but there was a notable space next to Bozer... one where Jack should’ve been and wasn’t.

Bozer’s eyes shined happily, glued to Leanna, and she watched him with just as much love in her gaze. Mac moved to stand by Bozer’s side, smiling widely, but it felt a little strained even though he was genuinely happy for them. He met Riley’s gaze and she gave him a small sad smile—they never talked about it, but Mac knew she was also hoping Jack would somehow be able to make it. They were waiting for Bozer’s friend to stop playing so the ceremony could begin, and Mac patted his pocket one more time to make sure the rings were there.

The songs was slowly winding down and just as the final notes faded away... there was some kind of commotion in the back, behind the last row of the guests. There were only about a hundred people in attendance—a lot of them were Bozer’s extended family, and the rest were people from the tattooing community or folks who helped rebuild Phoenix Rising in its new home. Mac hopped off the stage to see what was going on, and the crowd parted at just the right moment... and there was Jack. He wore a dirty t-shirt and jeans and combat boots, and he looked like he hadn’t shaved or showered in the month he was gone, but Mac didn’t give a shit.

He ran back up the aisle and threw himself into Jack’s arms, burying his face in his neck and hugging him tight. “You’re here,” he whispers, shock making him a little dumb. He leans back to look at Jack’s face, taking in every single inch, a hand coming up to cup his cheek. “You made it.”

Jack eyes were tired and emotional, and he turned his head a little to kiss Mac’s palm. Then he swayed against Mac, pressing his face into his neck. “Told you I’d do my best,” he mumbled, his voice hoarse and barely audible. “I’m... I’m sorry to crash the party, but I... needed to see you, and I promised I’d try to be here, so...”

He sounded exhausted and also in pain, so Mac loosened his grip on him, not sure if he was hurt. People who didn’t know Jack watched them curiously and there was some murmuring echoing around, but then there was the sound of rapid clicking of the heels on the platform and Mac didn’t need to turn around to know it was Riley jogging to them as fast as she could in her heels. Right before Riley got to them Jack slumped even further into Mac’s hold, and Mac wound up easing them both down into the grass to avoid falling over. He was probably getting stains on his suit but he didn’t care, not at all.

Riley had to pull the skirt of her bridesmaids dress up with one hand to crouch down and put the other one on Jack’s shoulder. “Jack, what’s wrong?”

Mac leaned back enough to put a hand on Jack’s forehead—he had a fever. “We need to get him inside,” Mac said, and lifted the hem of Jack’s shirt a little to peek underneath it. His eyes went wide when he saw a knife slash that was infected as well as bruising all over his ribs. He half-turned toward the crowd of wedding guests, looking for one of Bozer’s cousins. “Hey, which one of you is the ER doctor?”

One of the cousins shifts and slowly starts raising his hand. “Damn it, Daniel, get off your ass, don’t be shy!” Bozer called out.

Daniel stood up, eyeing Jack suspiciously. “He needs to go to the hospital,” he said, walking up Mac, Riley and Jack.

“No!” Mac and Riley exclaim in unison, and Mac felt Jack weakly shake his head against his shoulder. “He can’t,” Mac continued, fighting to keep his voice calm and steady. Then he suddenly remembered that this was Bozer and Leanna’s _wedding_ , and the spotlight had dramatically shifted away from them. His head snapped up and he turned to look at them, eyes wide. “Leanna, Boze, I’m—”

But Leanna and Bozer were already off the platform and coming toward them, along with Desi. Charlie—one of Mac’s friends from the Army and an ordained minister—hopped down too.

“Don’t worry about it, Mac,” Leanna said, handing her bouquet to another of Bozer’s cousins. “This guy is Mac’s boyfriend,” she added, addressing the rest of the guests, “and he’s been seriously hurt. I’ll have the caterer start the food early and you all can eat while we take care of this, we’ll get back to the ceremony in a bit.”

That satisfied everyone, and between Mac, Daniel, Bozer, and Charlie, they got Jack into the house and on the couch after placing some towels over the upholstery.

“Alright, I need a—” Daniel cut off when Mac thrust a fully stocked first aid kit into his hands. He raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. “Never mind. Can you cut his clothes off for me?”

“I’ll do it,” Desi volunteered, and pulled out a large knife from a garter under her dress. She bent down and says something to Jack, who laughed weakly and allowed her to remove his shirt and jeans, leaving him in his underwear, his boots joining the pile of discards a moment later.

There were more bruises covering his body, but they weren’t as bad as the ones on his ribs. Daniel took a look at the cut and the bruising and shook his head a little, opening the first aid kit. “You should have had that wound taken care of immediately, it must have happened at least a few days ago for it to get infected like that,” he said, putting on a pair of gloves. “Why didn’t you?”

Jack didn’t answer, blinking and looking around, his eyes falling on Mac. “Mac, I’m—”

Mac was by his side in an instant, grabbing his hand, his chest tightening painfully. Before he could say anything Riley leaned in above him, a quiet gasp leaving her lips. “Is that... is that a _tattoo_?”

Mac glanced down, and despite the situation he was immensely pleased to see the phoenix on the inside of Jack’s arm had healed perfectly. “Yeah... I did it for him, right before he left,” Mac told her, his other hand dropping on to Jack’s forehead, thumb stroking at the lines of pain there.

Daniel, meanwhile, set up an IV from Mac’s kit, raising both eyebrows when he saw the assortment of liquid medicines Mac had stockpiled. He gave Jack some antibiotics and a light painkiller, then set about draining the cut. Pus and blood poured out of it and Jack hissed at the sting, squeezing Mac’s hand tightly. Daniel grumbled something about not understanding any of this, but once again everyone kind of ignored him.

Jack hissed again and Mac leaned in and kisses his cheek. “Shh, I’ve got you,” he murmured, not caring about anyone watching them. He kept his other hand on Jack’s forehead, smiling a little when Jack leaned into his touch. “You’re gonna be just fine, babe.”

Bozer just gave his cousin a look and Daniel kept working, and thankfully the knife cut was the worst of Jack’s injuries. He stitched it up and bandaged it, then packed the first aid kit back up. He headed out to join the rest of the guests, and Leanna put her hand on Mac’s shoulder. “We’ll give you guys a minute alone. Let us know if he can come out and see the wedding,” she said, and when he nodded they all left, including Riley, who still looked worried.

Once they were gone Mac let his forehead drop to touch Jack’s. “I missed you so much, Jack. I’m so glad you’re here.”

“You... you are?” Jack whispered hoarsely, and Mac leaned back a little to look at him with a frown. Jack still looked exhausted—some color had returned to his face, but there was something vulnerable in his eyes. Mac let of his hand to brush his fingers against his beard as Jack watched him in wonder. “I... wasn’t sure you would be.”

“What?” Mac was shocked to say the least, and dropped from a crouch to sit on the floor, leaning one shoulder against the edge of the couch. “Jack, babe, I love you. Did you honestly think you being gone for a while would change that?” His eyes searched Jack’s face, saw the look in his eyes, and came to a conclusion. It hurt, not because it felt like Jack thought badly of him, but because Jack thought so badly of himself. “You did, didn’t you?”

“I’m... I thought that maybe you’d realize you’re better off without me after all,” Jack said quietly with a sad smile on his face that looked more like a grimace. “That you’ll see life without me is... better.” Jack swallowed hard and Mac’s heart hurt. He absently rubbed the skin under Jack’s eye with his thumb and after a moment Jack lifted his hand to wrap his fingers around his wrist. “But I... I had to come here, even if it was just for you to tell me to get lost. I... promised.”

“That was never gonna happen,” Mac said, and he leaned in to give Jack a soft, sweet kiss on the mouth. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I was afraid... I was afraid that something happened to you. And I’m not going to tell you what to do with your life, because I... I have a hard time believing I’d be worth it, but... I’d like it if you didn’t disappear for a month again.”

“You know, a month is not even that long when it comes to the CIA missions,” Jack teased quietly, and Mac glared at him, but he knew it wasn’t too powerful, not with the way his fingers were still softly stroking Jack’s cheek. “Mac, baby, you’re worth everything. And I’m never going to leave you again, I promise.” Jack smiled, and god, Mac missed that smile so much. “Haven’t had a chance to talk to my superiors, but... I’m quitting.”

Mac nodded, swallowing hard. “You could always become a tattoo apprentice,” he suggested, only half-joking. He hugged Jack as gently as he could, kissing his cheek, his jaw. “Or if you don’t want to work for a while... you could always sell your house and move in with me? Riley too, obviously.”

“God, I love you so much,” Jack breathed out, looking at Mac with so much affection that it took Mac’s breath away. “I’m... I’d love to move in with you. I’ll have to talk to Riley about it obviously, but with the way I saw Desi smile at her I don’t think we’re gonna have a problem.” Mac just had to kiss him again after that and even though he knew it was sudden... it felt right and he had no doubts about Jack moving in. “Sorry for ruining the wedding by the way,” Jack said, wincing a little. He sat up and Mac immediately reached to steady him. “You think I can borrow some of your clothes?”

Mac grinned at him and stood up. “I can do one better than that,” he said, and jogged to his room. He had no idea if Jack was going to show up in time for the wedding, but he’d bought a suit and dress shoes for him anyway, guessing at his measurements. He came back and laughed at the way Jack’s eyes went wide like saucers. “Here, I’ll help you put it on.” They worked together, and with the exception of the IV, Jack looked fantastic. It was done running so Mac took it out, leaning in to give him a kiss. “You think you can walk?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Jack said with a smile. “It’s gonna take a bit more than a tiny slash wound to take me out.”

Mac wanted to argue that the wound was anything but tiny, but he realized it didn’t really matter. He glanced at himself and miraculously there were no grass stains on his suit, not visible to him at least, so he straightened his tie before offering Jack his hand. “Shall we?”

Jack stood up and took Mac’s hand, raising it to his mouth to press a kiss to the back of it. “Let’s go, darlin’.” They went outside and Riley was on Jack almost immediately, giving him an enthusiastic but gentle hug. “I missed you so much, baby girl,” he muttered against her hair, and she just nodded, clearly trying not to cry.

When Charlie saw them he gave Mac a nod and then went back up on the platform, grabbing the mic they’d rigged up for the ceremony to get everyone’s attention: “We’re all set, people! Let’s have a wedding!”

~***~

Mac watched Leanna and Bozer slow dance in the middle of the small dance floor, and he couldn’t help but smile. They were absolutely adorable and perfect for each other, and right now Mac was literally bursting with happiness. Even though he was happy before he wasn’t able to enjoy the magic of the day, but thanks to Jack coming back everything was right again. Jack disappeared a few minutes ago, telling Mac he had to make a call and winking, and while a part of Mac still felt bad for making him quit, he also believed Jack when he said it didn’t matter.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a gentle hand grabbing his elbow and a soft voice sounding right in his ear. “May I have this dance?”

Mac turned and smiled, bringing his hands up to frame Jack’s face and pulling him in for a kiss. “Of course you can,” he said softly, tugging Jack out to the dance floor. There was some shuffling while they figured out who should lead, but soon enough they were swaying together to the music, and Mac felt like a fool but he couldn’t stop smiling. “The ceremony was pretty awesome,” he commented, only grinning harder when Jack spun him before tugging him back into his arms. “Even if you crashed it.”

Jack just chuckled, leaning in and kissing Mac’s cheek. “It was beautiful,” he murmured. “I may not know them that well, but even I can see those kids are good for each other.”

They swayed in silence for a moment, and Mac couldn’t help but think... that he wanted this too. He didn’t know how Jack felt about getting married, and god, it’d been a _month_ since they met and during that time they spent literally _two days_ together. It was _definitely_ too soon to be even thinking about that. Wanting to distract himself, he pressed himself closer to Jack. “How did your phone call go?”

“About as well as you could expect,” Jack said, shrugging a little. His hand felt huge at the small of Mac’s back, and for the first time Mac was struck by their size difference even though they were around the same height. “My boss was apoplectic, but I’ve put in my time so I just said I was retiring. Then I called Matty, and she told me to come in for an interview on Monday.”

Mac grinned again, unable to hide his reaction to that news. “That’s... amazing, Jack.” He leaned in and presses a kiss to the corner of Jack’s mouth. “So does that mean you’re sticking around for a while?”

“For as long as you’ll have me,” Jack said, turning his head and giving Mac a proper kiss.

It was slow and gentle at first until Mac cupped Jack’s face with his hand and tilted his head a little, swiping his tongue over Jack’s bottom lip. Jack opened up for him right away, so Mac deepened the kiss. It was the first time they kissed like that in a month, and even though it was still slow it was so intense that Mac had a feeling he would faint if it wasn’t for Jack’s arms holding him up.

When they pulled apart Mac didn’t go far, staring into Jack’s eyes as he said, “I think I’ll keep you forever.”

He saw nothing but warmth in that gaze, and when he embraced Jack right there in the middle of the dance floor, hooking his chin over his shoulder, Mac decided that the first tattoo Desi gave him in the new shop would be the Delta Force insignia.


End file.
